Disquiet Junto submissions

More on this 410th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Op Audio / The Assignment: What does the sonic equivalent of Op Art sound like? — at:

https://disquiet.com/0410/

Thanks to Nate Trier for having suggested a “Shepard tone Junto,” which led to this week’s project.

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements here:

http://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co:

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0410-op-audio/

There’s also a Disquiet Junto Slack. Send your email address to twitter.com/disquiet for Slack inclusion.

The image associated with this project is from the Wikipedia entry on the logarithmic spiral:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logarithmic_spiral

Disquiet Junto Project 0410: Op Audio

Disquiet Junto Project 0394: You & Me

The Assignment: Accompany the music made by a species other than your own.

This is a project for World Listening Day.

Step 1: Think of an animal you would like to accompany. It may be one in your possession, like a household cat, dog, or bird, or perhaps it might be one for which you’ll need to locate a recorded example.

Step 2: Acquire audio of the animal you selected in Step 1, either by making a recording or locating one.

Step 3: Create a new piece of music by playing along with the audio acquired in Step 2. In the final mix, you and the animal you accompany should be heard at equal levels of prominence (of course, you may also trade off).

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Track notes:

This track was created with audio extracted from a video my partner had made of our cat, Neko snoozing in the afternoon. Her snore is supringly musical. I looped the recording in Max with a fzero~ object employed to detect the fundamental frequency of Neko's snore. The fzero~ is then delayed and used to provide the frequency for a triangle wave; in effect, creating a call and response to Neko's snore. In addition to this, each time a fundamental frequency is detected by fzero~, this triggers a snapshop~ with the output control the waveband of a noise filter. A couple of signal buses are also set up with tapout~ feedback set to near-infinity, creating a consistent sonic texture. Panning of the channels is controlled with cycle~ objects, whose respective phase are constantly shifting.

The title of this track is taken from a quote I came across recently by Japanese sound artist, Toshiya Tsunoda: "If you think about it carefully, the activity of an actual space always moves. [...] Place is always moving, like a sleeping cat." [1]

[1] https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/quiet-storms_toshiya-tsunoda

Tristan Louth-Robins, July 2019

[disquiet0394] (place is always moving) like a sleeping cat

Disquiet Junto Project 0395: Acoustic Expanse
The Assignment: Make music with (samples of) the biggest guitar in the southern hemisphere.

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0395-acoustic-expanse/24269

This project was proposed by Jason Richarson. There’s just one step:

Step 1: The biggest guitar in the southern hemisphere is in Narrandera, Australia. Junto member Jason Richardson recorded a wide range of samples of the guitar and made them available under a Creative Commons license. Now it’s time for you to play this guitar. Get the samples at big-guitar.com/download.

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Track notes:

The inspiration for this piece comes from my childhood/teenage observation of my dad's guitars hanging in the living room and how human voices, impulse-like sounds and other musical instruments would - depending on their loudness and/or proximity - ocassionally cause these stationary instruments to resonate sympathetically and sound.

I started by selecting a few nice resonant tones from the Narrandera big guitar. Looping these in Ableton so that they drifted in and out of phase with each other, I removed the attacks from each of the notes to create a continous drone that pulsated periodically. I sent the output from Ableton - via a 20w amp - to a Digitech exciter (i.e. transducer) which I placed on the soundboard 'sweet spot' of one of my dad's old guitars. This guitar has been in my possession for over 20 years - a 1976 Tama acoustic.

The surface of the Tama in effect becomes a resonater for the Narrandera guitar tones as they are 'transplanted' into the acoustic body of the Tama. Throughout the recording I occasionally strum the strings of the Tama - slack tuned and in approximate harmony with the Narrandera guitar tones. I also physically move the transducer from the Tama's sweet spot to other areas of the soundboard surface; which in effect, articulate different resonant qualities of the Narrandera guitar tones, and also makes audible some of the discrete artefacts of the Narrandera recordings.

[disquiet0395] acoustic transplant

I was wracking my head on the drive down to my mum's farm this weekend. I'd made plans to start building a much-talked about aeolian harp on the property using found materials and various bits and pieces I had lying around my home studio. I was (over) thinking aspects of resonance, wire lengths, fundamental tones, harmonics, etc and in between this I was also thinking about this week's challenge.  A couple of days work resulted in the MiddlePhone* (see pic and footnote below) and an outcome for this weeks Junto challenge.

I attached one end of a slinky to the chimney flue on the MiddlePhone, and the other to a tin can. I fixed a contact mic to the interior surface of the chimney flue and pointed a shotgun mic off into the distance. Hitting record, I stretched out the slinky/can and hummed an improvised melody into the can for about a minute.

In the recording you can hear two simultaneous recordings which have been mixed together: the slinky's contact with the flue, and the shotgun mic; which is fixed on my position with the stretched slinky/can. I've mixed the track so that you hear only the shotgun mic recording at first (w/peripheral sounds) and then gradually crossfade into contact mic; the latter revealing the reverberent/harmonic effects of the slinky, as well the articulation of resonances. Which most of the resonances are derived from the flue/slinky combo, I'm fairly certain the network of stretched wires have had some effect too.

The MiddlePhone*

Yesterday afternoon, I deviated dramatically from my original design plan for the aeolian harp; to such an extent that it resembled a completely different instrument - which you can see pictured in the track cover. It comprises of an old tallowwood fencepost jammed between the branch stumps of a Melaleuca tree. The post has thin wires attached to it which are tightened and fixed to the ground, as well as run over an oil drum and also connected to a chimney flue. The wind interplays with it discretely, but is most effective as a ridiculous percussion instrument. However, attaching contact mics to it reveals a variety of resonances and sonic perculiarities. More recordings of the MiddlePhone to feature in the near future!

[disquiet0396] elastic hum

Track notes:

A quick and dirty one this week. I used an iOS 808 emulator, sent it through a stereo amp driving a couple of my corked speakers, using the vibrations to move and rattle objects. I stuck some old guitar strings in the cork of the left speaker to wobble about and strike a tambourine; on the other speaker I layered a tin foil bowl to rattle about. Then I move the objects around and incorporate a bit of tinfoil. I’m quite fond of the outcome; my partner, not so much.

Assignment notes:

Disquiet Junto Project 0397: Numbers Racket
The Assignment: It’s 808 Day. Do it up.

Step 1: It’s 808 Day today, August 8, the start of the latest Junto project. Let’s make it last through Monday.

Step 2: Make music with or about or somehow in the spirit of the Roland TR-808.

[disquiet0397] 808 junklet

For this week's challenge I decided to continue some explorations of the cycle~ object in Max where I've been using it (at very low rates) to control float values which oscillate back and forth; and subsequently transpose this float value to wider ranges to control things like frequency, amplitude and panning.

When thinking about the idea of 'rauschen', a lingering poetic over the past week had been a line from the song 'I Remember Me' by the SilverJews (aka, David Berman):

The tape hiss of the trees

There's always been something so striking and evocative about that line, and for me it does a wonderful thing of bridging the tricky gaps in (the English) language when it comes to accurately describing sounds. Sure, I guess imagining 'tape hiss' is pretty subjective and experiential, but for me it's such a strong (albeit, slightly surreal) poetic expression.

The objective for this week's challenge was for me to evoke the sound of wind through the trees using the hiss of a blank cassette tape. 

I set about building a little Max patch of four noise modules ,with the noise source derived from a hiss of a blank cassette played back on my old Tascam 424 Portastudio. The tape hiss recordings are routed to a bandpass filter, whose frequency range and amplitude are constantly moving. These (along with the panning) are all controlled with cycle~ objects set a different rates. When the four modules play back simultaneously, this creates a pretty dense noise texture which is constantly shifting - evoking the wind shearing through trees at varying intensities and trajectory. 

I've uploaded a breakdown of the Max patch on YouTube if anyone wants to explore the finer details of the process: https://youtu.be/5G59iszqXWw

[disquiet0398] the tape hiss of the trees

A vague memory from a trip years ago to the Ontario Science Centre inspired this auditory illusion. With quotes from The Origin of Species (Darwin) and from Report N° 3211000RAE00-A: Hair Volume Measurement(Bolero) - Evaluation of 4 Products.

More on this 410th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Op Audio / The Assignment: What does the sonic equivalent of Op Art sound like? — at: https://disquiet.com/0410/

Thanks to Nate Trier for having suggested a “Shepard tone Junto,” which led to this week’s project.

More on the Disquiet Junto at: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Stress (disquiet0410)

One arpeggio in “Trompe-l’œil” (minor? major?) performed on guitars (electric? acoustic?)
Guitars (3 instruments, 8 tracks) performed by DD Friday November 8th.
Photo by DD (Oslo, Norway, 2018)

For Disquiet Junto Project 0410: Op Audio
https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0410-op-audio/

Op Art Arpeggios (Disquiet0410)

This track is a response to a challenge from the Disquiet Junto: "What does the sonic equivalent of Op Art sound like?" 

In this piece, I first composed a small symphonic riff - and then cut everything up in pieces, like seeing a picture through a grid or a comb, to see if the idea of the original would "peek through" - or maybe even change character. I think it changed quite a bit; some parts gained importance, other disappeared and some got almost too intrusive. But I actually like it better like this... :)

More on this 410th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Op Audio / The Assignment: What does the sonic equivalent of Op Art sound like? — at:

https://disquiet.com/0410/

Thanks to Nate Trier for having suggested a “Shepard tone Junto,” which led to this week’s project.

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

https://disquiet.com/junto/

disquiet0410 - broken syncphony

Using an image Jelie sent me from a mountain retreat I loaded it into Photosounder.
I then inverted it to get a more traditional OP black and white image. I then used the black and white tools to draw trees using the tools. 

I then took the inverted image’s sound, duplicated and reversed it. I then took the “drawn” inverted images sound, duplicated and reversed it. Using these 4 sounds I grouped them in Live to a looper and EQ.

I then dialed in some drums on the Roland DJ 808 drum sequencer for the 606, 707,808, 909 drum banks. I then used the MIDI fighter routed to a drum kit with a looper to capture a phrase that I then folded into the group Loop chain. 
More on this 410th weekly Disquiet Junto project — Op Audio / The Assignment: What does the sonic equivalent of Op Art sound like? — at:

https://disquiet.com/0410/

Thanks to Nate Trier for having suggested a “Shepard tone Junto,” which led to this week’s project.

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements here:

http://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co:

https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0410-op-audio/

SnowTree OP disquiet0410

SnowTree OP disquiet0410 (cut down tree)

Step 1: If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Op Art, read up. It employs optical illusions as raw material for artistic expression.

Step 2: Think about what the sonic equivalent of Op Art would be. For example, consider the Shepard tone (the illusion of continually rising or descending pitch).

Step 3. Record a piece of Op Audio resulting from your thinking in Step 2.

Track notes: 

Another really thought/imagination provoking prompt. Thanks to Marc and Nate Trier for the initiative!

Immediately I thought of Bridget Riley's work, which I've always loved; especially her intricate colour works, which started in the 80s/90s onwards with pieces like Achæan (1981) and Nataraja (1993). I've always appreciated the considered selection of colour palette along with the rigid repetition of lines or oblique shapes. Throughout her career, Riley has meticulously studied the use of colour in paintings across history, as well as colour's application in cultures around the world. Her late work - from the 2000's onwards introduced elements of curvature and fluidity, and the semblance of repetition and repeated patterns became less apparent/distinct. 

In a sonic/musical sense, her work from these respective periods suggests a strong correlation to movement/momentum, pulses, repeated motifs, polyrhythm, phase relation and colouration of tone, etc. 

I thought it might be interesting to reference this late development in Riley's work: from the rigid forms and colour palette of Achæan (1981) and Nataraja (1993)through to her more recent works, which pull away from repetition, yet eschew the broad colour palette to only a couple of colours (such as Blue and Pink, 2001). My piece is sort of caught between works such as Nataraja and Blue and Pink.

I used a customised synth patch on my microkorg and routed the output to three effects pedals (an Ooh Wah, DD7 looper and Earthquaker Transmisser). 

The Ooh Wah is a rare bespoke pedal which I'm borrowing from a friend at the moment. It's essentially a series of bandpass filters combined with a sequencer. It adds a nice warbling effect to the synth, whilst pressing out some interesting harmonic characteristics.

The DD7 is, well..a DD7. I'm using it to capture sections of my playing and repeat infinitum, whilst overdubbing additional sections as the piece goes on.

Lastly, the Transmisser is a glorified modulated reverb, which I've employed towards the end of the piece to essentially 'blend' the colours into a homogenous impression.

It's longer than my usual submissions, since I felt a length of at least four minutes was the only way I could get this idea across.

[disquiet0410] Achæan, Nataraja, Blue and Pink

Tristan Louth-Robins is a South Australian artist working principally in the medium of sound art and field recording. Ideas of sound and its signification are key elements in Louth-Robins' practice, traversing the space between the visual and aural his work is realised through the mediums of recordings, installation, visual art and performance. He is interested in sound and its associative implications - including its relationship to objects, technology, urban space, memory and the natural world. 


Since 2005, Louth-Robins has presented work in Australia and internationally as a solo artist, whilst also collaborating with artists, writers, researchers, musicians and performers. 

Working across a vast array of activities encompassing composition, sound design, installation art, field recording and workshops, his work has been featured in events such as the Adelaide Festival of Arts (2006), The National Regional Arts Festival (2012), Mildura-Wentworth Arts Festival (2013), Fairfax Festival (2013) and Adelaide Fringe Festival (2014); and selected works exhibited at galleries including The Australian Experimental Art Foundation (2009), SASA Gallery (2012, 2015), Light Square Gallery (2012) and FELT Space (2015). His audio works have been broadcast on radio including Radio National, Classic FM, The BBC (UK), Acoustic Frontiers (USA) and RBB (Germany).