Turn these up!  I mixed 'em down with the old skool not-crushing-the-dynamics routine.  Also, recorded at 96 kHz 24 bit, so the level is kept a little lower to avoid noisy translations into forums such as this one here. 

Still trying to get the TipTop Audio Trigger Riot module to be clocked at audio rates.  To be sure, it is going at 961 (31^2) bpm in these pieces, although I'm still not sure how I managed to do that ...
and it is still not being clocked by external sources.  This time I thought I'd try using the square wave output of the Behringer Crave after adjusting the signal in various ways, but I suspect the amplification of the signal is still not up to the Eurorack standards of voltage.  Really need to get a hold of one of them oscilloscope modules, so I can see clearly exactly where my signals are and are not.

In the process of attempting to make the above happen, I, again, had to make a pitstop to record the awesomeness happening along the way.  That awesomeness would be these pieces.

I started by completely dismantling my previous patchings for Periodic Phenomena, then patching things up in a similar, but different, way.  Even so, I kept the midi commands, i.e. the bassline, and rhythms of Periodic Phenomena as they were.  So, these pieces are another testament to the versatility of ideas -- something I like to enjoy quite often, even if  usually not quite to this extent.

At any rate, the instrumentation is still similar in that two Behringer Neutrons and a Crave were used.  That said, the second Neutron in this piece is solely used as a source of heavy modulation of the first Neutron, which itself gives the rather exquisitely nuanced and varied melodic lines.  There are only a few forms of sound design which are _not_ used in one way or the other in its formations, e.g. wavesplicing.  Amplitude and Frequency modulation, however, are used in many more ways than one, as well as the analog maximum waveform constructions of four signals in two different ways.  Audio rate amplitude modulation of wavefolding parameters was also used.  A sort of analog wavetabling was also used in the final sounds coming from all of this craziness.  Super freakin' cool sounds, really.  So I just absolutely had to record a few takes of it before moving on with my project.
 
Anyways ... keep an ear out for the www.swircle987.bandcamp.com release for the audiophile (96 kHz, 24 bit) copies of these tunes, along with a more thorough description of the intricate patchings, etc which were involved in the making of them.

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round]

You are my angel
angel 
angel
angel.

You fly with me through
Heaven.
You saved me from
Hell.

You raised my six back to
seven.
You picked me up when I
fell.

My Angel

"newer" tunes of mine ... well ... tunes that have yet to be organized into albums ... per se ... so yah ... a little behind on that front ... but I intend to catch up a bit soon ... .

Also, this playlist focuses on tunes I have produced more "in the box," as opposed to through live improvisations.  That said, there is quite the crossover these days ... so ... there ya go.

Newest "In the Box" Productions

Most, although not all, of this music is meant for long periods of focused concentration, mediation, or relaxation.

Abstract Focus Music

Abstract Music

4 voice polyphonic analog Eurorack piece.  An 8 bar chord progression repeats throughout at 45 BPM.  The 4 oscillators of the 2 Neutrons sing each voice, whilst they undergo rather slow continuous waveform changes as per their own LFOs, attenuated within the Neutrons themselves as well.  These 4 voices are then condensed into a single sound, then split into a few stereo pathways of further sound shaping.  Further envelope changes are applied to each of the voices.  The stereo signal is processed via a stereo delay, along with some wavefolding and reverb.

Each of the stereo pathways is then processed separately for the recording, with special attention given to the stereo field spread of each.

The subtle changes in the sounds themselves, i.e. timbres,  as well as the spatial movement of the sounds, are thus the focus of this piece, as opposed to more typical elements such as melody, etc.

Soundscape 064

Heheh ... sooo ... um ... was supposed to stop trying to figure out the melodic content of the phrase "Hey, what's up guys?" -- which was repeated a couple of times, interestingly in a rather musical manner, by the dude from one of our favorite UFO channels, secureteam10.  The guy disappeared for what seems like years, but it looks like he might be back now?  Yeah, apparently he's been harassed by some shady characters as well as local authorities for, presumably, all of the information, videos, interviews, etc. that he has been sharing.  Yeah, apparently they beat him up pretty badly at one point, too.  Then all of a sudden his channel disappeared -- completely erased.  Nothing.  For years.  Sooo ... we're glad to see he's still alive, and we're hoping he'll keep sharing vids and such of UFOs.

We shall see.

At any rate, you may have guessed by now that the bass line of this tune is based around the melodic content of the aforementioned phrase he repeated in his test stream.  I was also curious what, if any, harmonic context was implied by the melody itself.  Turns out that was cool, too, so I went ahead and included it.  Then there was this sort of implied minimal melody.  Threw down a sub bass to boot, all over a hot beat ... and now it's this tune.

Course, I just wanted to know what the melody was at first.  Now you can hear why I thought it sounded so catchy.  ^_^  But, yeah, just straight to the computer to work it out, so this here tune is strictly an "in the box" production ... just like the olden days ... .

Hey What's Up Guys

Just obtained the free VST called Pendulum -- really cool plugin based on the, mathematically speaking, chaotic motion of the double pendulum.  Had to grab it.  Of course, I knew this action would inevitably result in at least one new tune.  First I studied Pendulum by listening through some presets.  Only several of those later, however, I also started tweaking some parameters.  Well, next thing you know, there were then three variations of this tweaked Pendulum preset, one for the low bass, another for the mid bass, and one more for the upper frequencies.

It might be interesting to note that this tune started out at the much slower BPM of 100, then slowly sped up to the current 140 BPM.  Might bring it back down a touch in another variation of the tune ... we shall be seeing about that one.

Some chord progressions later, plus many hours spent further composing, mixing, and mastering the tune, it was done a few days later.  Well, I also spent much time obtaining, extracting, editing, mixing, and composing with the heard soundbite of Dr. Carol Rosin speaking of what Dr. Wernher Von Braun divulged to her in regards to the weaponization of space and the false flag operations along the way.  For the full disclosure from Dr. Rosin, you can find it within Dr. Steven Greer's YouTube playlist entitled "Witness Testimonies."

This Alien Variation is for those moments when you want a quicker dose of this tune.

As for the plugin: so far so good, I'd say.  I love how the complexities feel almost analog in nature, along with its mathematical basis, of course.

The Alien Card [Alien Variation]

One of the least fun things about having, what I shall refer to here as, "Alien on Earth Syndrome" are the malfunctions which occur from time to time.  Well, yesterday was one of those times.  Felt my logic systems failing, so I had to leave before ... there ya go.  Sometimes my masking abilities deceive others into believing that I am not a robot in a non-robot world ... and they treat me as if I am not one.  This is generally the goal, of course, of the masking processes, but it backfires when things begin to go awry ... .

Began channeling this tune when I returned to my spaceport.  Slowly recovering ... hoping the flames die away soon.

Meltdown

Ees a tune ah done did do for a pway.  ^_^

All In One

Second mix of a tune I produced based around a several second snippet I put together for a play.  This time, I brought the percussion down a touch to allow the other voices to have a larger soundstage.

All In One [Mix 2]

Tune I done wrote based around a several second sound snippet I done put together for a play.  The tune might be used in the production, or it might not ... but either way ... it's a nice tune.

This one is at half the speed, i.e. 36 BPM, which brings it back into a bit more of a dubby territory.  As such, various parameters, patterns, etc. were adjusted to fill the time more satisfyingly.

All In One [Ambient Slow Time]

All In One [Ambient Slow Time, Low Mix]

The intent of this soundscape, mechanically, is to layer the DeepMind 12 with the Helium 4 and further process their polyphony through the stereopathic sound shaping modules of me Eurorack setup.

Course, more went into it then that as time went on.  Spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to get my usb hub working again.  Instead, in the end, I just hooked up the midi connections directly to my laptop.  Yeah, primitive ... but it works.

After all that, I began penciling in some chord structures, which ended up sounding so nice, they just kind of kept going ... until about 12 bars or so.  C minor for sure, although it is more modally so for the most part, till the last few measures or so that is, at which time it conveniently slips in some borrowed tones -- A, then F#, then B -- such as to modulate, even if only slightly, into harmonic minor before returning home.  Course, the latter tone is heard as part of a G major sonority, prior to its return to C minor.

Some 3 dimensional loveliness is added thereafter, swirling around polymetrically.  The two delay (echo) effects, already in a 3 to 5 polyrhythmic relationship, spin around in opposite directions such that the prior completes its cycle every 2 measures, whilst the latter does so every 3 -- a sort of long term hemiola.  The two reverbs (spaciousness ... es) move up and down polymetrically to each other and those above, one contrary to the other.  This time the polymeter is in 5 on 7 measures, respectively.

Also, the BPM changes linearly from 100 to 60 BPM, then back again, pulling us into more of the microcosmic qualities of the sounds heard and back again to the more macro-temporal experience.

To be sure, the chord structures were somewhat improvised, in a compositional sort of sense of that. Also to be sure, I often prefer improvised ... well ... just about everything. 

In Moment 2, the volume of the primary sound sources was lowered, while the levels of the echoes and spaces were increased.  Also, the EQ was adjusted on the second.  Otherwise, the designs are the same.

Soundscape 095 [Moment 2]

Too much to say about this one if I am to give a complete tale, so I'll keep it brief instead. Essentially, I was trying other ways to turn rhythms into sound waves using the modules I already have. Suffice it to say, none of those efforts panned out. Then again, along the way, some really truly super cool sounds started to evolve nonetheless, so I went ahead and recorded a couple of takes with the setup.

The Tempi was utilized to produce some polymetric triggers into an envelope module, which then transformed them into various sound waves. A single Neutron was primarily heard otherwise. Pretty much the usual wonderful parameters were modulated, mostly at audio rates, including PWM, wave shape, oscillator pitches, and so on. The LFO was also borrowed from me other Neutron for further modulations.

At any rate, some super lovely sounds came of it. With some tweaks here and there on some knobs from time to time, this soundscape and the previous one came to be.

Soundscape 097

"Back in the Subroutine" is a celebratory tune, again - this time celebrating my jump back into the sub pool.  It is quite a lovely pool, indeed - one in which I had been swimming for nearly 10 years before a brief, but minor, interruption in its flow.  ~_~  But yah...nice to help other entities input new information again.  

As the tune itself goes: it once again started as another demonstration for several of the aforementioned entities.  It's nice to be appreciated by those with whom you perform your primary functions for the sake of monetary gain.  To satiate their interest, I began this piece...just a basic beat with a bass line at the time, really.  Not one to leave musical ideas left unrealized much of any of the time anymore, I of course had to see this one to its full fruition.  

Interestingly, this tune consists of the relatively elaborate and salient percussive elements along with that very same bass line...and that's it!  Okay, well, true: the bass line undergoes a serious amount of change as the song progresses.  And, I suppose there's also the effects which are truly voices within the music themselves... .  But, still, this track has really retained its original import...only now existing within the world from whence it came. 

Oh...and it's a particularly groovin', hard dance track.  Dig it.  

!~_~!

Back in the Subroutine

Two Doepfer A-137-2 Wave Multiplier II modules run in series (one on the other) on some waveforms transmitted by a Neutron. Recorded 5 variations of the parameters involved for each of 3 total voices heard in this piece. Various LFOs were used to control the parameters of the two Wave Multiplier II modules.

From there, the new Pitch Shifter and Frequency Shifter VSTs in FLS were used on the otherwise monotone audio recordings to create melodies and bass lines, as well as variations in their respective tones. Four out of the five recordings were spread through the stereo spectrum to widen and enliven their overall sounds, accentuating the variations therein. Polymetric LFOs were also used within each of the voices, fading their respective sub-voices in and out, thereby effecting their overall timbral qualities as well as further contributing to their stereo motion.

The percussion was all selected to fit within the general vibe of the piece, and a sub bass was added to fully round out the sound. Of course, many other things went into the full composition of this piece as well, but the above are the primary, unique techniques yielding the distinctive attributes of it.

Phase Shifter

Support by purchasing high quality audio album:
https://swircle987.bandcamp.com/album/soundscape-110

Recently obtained an Expert Sleepers ES-9 in order to further integrate my hardware with my software, particularly with VCV Rack 2 for the latter. In this particular voyage, the Sound Stage module was center stage. Two Neutrons are the primary sources of initial sounds, both processed via their own stereo pathways, both pathways further moved about space via the aforementioned software module. Two more Neutrons were also used solely for their LFO modulations upon the Neutron in charge of the white noise sounds, providing modulations on the modulations of the modulations.

The Make Noise Tempi provided the primary clock sources, with polymetric pulses sent to various other modules, i.e. the TipTop Audio Trigger Riot, the Stillson Hammer MKII, which were then utilized to trigger the LFOs of the Neutrons. The TipTop Audio Z8000 was also clocked in this manner, sending its control voltages to a Doepfer A-172 (analog) Max/Min module from which the maximum voltages between it and the Stillson Hammer voltages were sent to the pitch control of both oscillators of the non-white-noise voice Neutron. To be accurate, two rows of polymetric pulsations were combined via another Max/Min module to clock the SH MKII.

The main output of the non-white-noise voice Neutron was split into two signals which were then processed via two separate Joranalogue Contour1 modules, each always tweaked to slightly different settings, yielding further stereo motion to this voice.

The main output of the white noise voice Neutron was split into two signals as well, only this time into two separate Doepfer A-137-2 Wave Multiplier II modules. On the first WM II module, the 2nd and 4th Shift Unit control voltage inputs were governed by LFOs from the Batumi 1974 Quadruple LFO module. Specifically, the Saw/Assign output was controlled by the Poti 1974 Breakout module, itself switched to various waveforms during the moments of this soundscape. The same patching was used on the second WM II module, only this time controlling the 1st and 3rd Shift Units. To be sure, sounds other than white noise are heard from this Neutron as well, although the white noise is its primary sound.

The ES-9 performed multiple tasks, including both of the stereo audio inputs, the sound staging of which were controlled by voltages from the 1974 Quad LFO module, through the ES-9, into the Sound Stage software module.

Both Neutrons were patched such that the first oscillator modulated the second oscillator and vice versa, creating an audio rate generative frequency modulation, if you will, upon themselves. Each of their respective pulse widths were modulated via their own LFOs, one being inverted to the other on each Neutron.

The first three moments of this soundscape were performed and recorded back to back as were the second three moments, with only a small pause in between the two sets. Given the intrinsic complexities of the setup, small changes to the parameters resulted in noticeable changes to the sounds. Hence, for the most part, only small changes were made at any given moment to a given parameter. Indeed, even when no knobs, etc. were being tweaked, changes still occurred, so, from time to time, I allowed those changes to occur unperturbed by my own adjustments.

One evening was spent patching the setup. The next evening (and night) was spent performing and mastering the resulting soundscape.

Soundscape 110 [Moment 4]

The Caboodle harmonies were used to play my polyphonic Eurorack synthesizer setup. The Morphine softsynth also plays, although much more quietly. A few pairs of modules were used to generate stereo sound sculpting on the former.

This moment was recorded at 60 BPM.

Soundscape 112 [Moment 0]

Bass Hypnosis is perhaps a better genre name ... . At any rate, this tune is based around the bass sound which is itself produced by playing polymetric rhythm patterns at audio rates, then sculpting the sound waves thereof. The 4ms QCD is being clocked by a Neutron oscillator, who's waveshape is being modulated from sine wave to "Pulse Tone" ... wave. The modulations of the modulations on this waveshape are rather intricate and polytemporal themselves.

Then the QCD splits off the original clock signals garnered from the above waveform inputs into 4 pulsations based around it. These pulsations (streams of clock signals) are set at 3 times, 4 times, 5 times, and 7 times the input audio rate clock signals.

After being analog summed via another module, 2 Joranalogue Contour 1s are used to sculpt the clock outputs of the QCD, themselves initially gate signals. The rise and fall parameters, along with the bendings thereof, are modulated by a mix of some Batumi LFOs.

These soundscapes were quite intensely sonically satisfying to explore. This last moment being so much so, that a rhythm section was simply in need of coming into it, too. The rhythm section is itself polymetrically arranged. Perhaps more interestingly, the bass drum, snare, and hi hat sounds were all derived from micro-moments, if you will, of the original bass sound. Intriguingly, the hats were derived from the snare sound using delay effects which altered their overall tone noticeably. In fact, there are a total of 2 such hats, one derived from a delayed variation of the other. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, these hats are set polymetrically, although this time with a simple 2 on 3, hemiola, classic polymeter.

As such, the polymetric rhythm line, set at 60/16 (in contrast to the 64/16) meter, continually feeds the polymetric echoes of the hats. The snare and bass drum also receive their own polymetric variations via this same 60/16 meter as it cycles throughout the tune.

The mixing of this tune was considerable. Keeping this massive bass at the surface, overwhelmingly so, while simultaneously ensuring the percussion sounds maintained their own presence throughout was ... well, a bit of a to do. Suffice it to say, much, much dynamic EQing was used to form the bass sound around the percussion sounds. Interestingly, the 600 Hz of the bass sound are, in fact, emphasized each time the bass drum hits. Right above that, the snare pushes the 12 kHz range down so that it is not drowned. Right above that, the 24 kHZ frequencies of the bass sound are lifted a good 6.6 dB. Below all of that, the, approximately, 0 to 100 Hz frequencies are scooped out on every instance of the bass drum. I could the polymetric dancing of the EQ of the bass sound dancing for ages ... .

Given such elaborate mixing, the mastering of this tune turned out to be a simpler matter than usual. A slightly heavier handed compression was used on the full range of frequencies than is usual for my masters, but it most certainly works for this piece of bassy loveliness. ^_~

Soundscape 118 [Moment 3.0]

Up In The Air

Up In The Air [Polygonal]

Befaco Lich module can perform a polygonal-based sound creation program, so I used it to record both synth layers heard in this piece. Other modules making their entrance in this piece are the Befaco Morphader, the Allen Synthesis EuroPi module, and the Neuzeit Quasar module -- all completely awesome modules in their own right.

No time to delineate the exact patching of these modules, etc. Suffice it to say that you are hearing dynamically evolving polygonal sounds moving through three dimensional space. The percussion was produced in the post production, using a happenstance approach to synchronicities.

In this variation, the NiftyKeyz was used to channel some polyphonic Eurorack harmonies. The primary oscillators used were those of the Doepfer A-111-4 Quad VCO, made polyphonic by a few other Doepfer modules, the most unique of which were the two Doepfer A-130-8 Octal Linear VCAs which were used to morph between the three waveforms of each of the four oscillators. The morphing was controlled by an audio rate controlled Befaco Morphader, along with a tempo-synced Allen Synthesis module, itself set to the program which creates LFOs in a harmonic series. The Batumi 1974 Quadruple LFO module, whose phase frequency was governed by midi automation, controlled several parameters of the SSF Stereo Dipole module. Within this latter module, a couple feedback loops were created, producing complex and unpredictable waveforms.

Soundscape 120 [Nifty Variation]

Tune based on demo track for electronic music course I done taught. This one is full of the classic 303 synth.

Losers Say Loser

[Chorus]
The love in your eyes
is back inside.
When you look at me,
I can clearly see
how much you love me
how much you love me
ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee

[Verse 1, twice]
Together
we fight
the demons
with the Ho-
ly Spirit
together
forever

His Holy
Spirit
It heals us
It heals us
It heals us
together
forever

Together
we pray
to Jesus and
His Holy
Spirit
together
forever

His Holy
Spirit
It fills us
It fills us
It fills us
together
forever

[Chorus]
The love in your eyes
is back inside.
When you look at me,
I can clearly see
how much you love me
how much you love me
ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee

[Verse 2, twice]
Now closer
to God
through Jesus
and His Ho-
ly Spirit --
together
forever.

His Holy
Spirit
It heals us
It heals us
It heals us
together
forever

Together
we walk
He leads us
with His Ho-
ly Spirit
together
forever

His Holy
Spirit
It fills us
It fills us
It fills us
together
forever

[Chorus]
The love in your eyes
is back inside.
When you look at me,
I can clearly see
how much you love me
how much you love me
ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee

Love In Your Eyes

Love In Your Eyes [Inside Variation]

Words coming soon, to a this song in its near future near you.  

^_~

That said, I feel this version is its own thing.  I mean, who needs words, right?  ~_^

Pretense [Mentor Mix]

Seems we were all born into a world about to catch fire ... also seems that fire is starting ... .  

So ... stay cool.  

^_~

Wildfire [Tropical Storm Mix]

We can only hope the mess will clean itself in time.  Humans are a messy species ... particular with their ethics ... even the mops we use to clean one mess are messy themselves ... creating even more messes ... different messes perhaps ... but still messes ... but ... hopefully the mess will clean itself in time ... instead of swinging wildly from one moral violation to its opposite extreme ... forever.  

So ... keep striving for what is right ... but don't justify your means with your ends.  Keep trying to fix the broken system ... but try not to break it in new and improved ways in the process.

Indignance can be a powerful emotion to propel positive changes ... but it can also cloud our vision.  One minute we're saving the day, the next it has become the next witch hunt ... the accused deemed guilty merely for having been accused ... . 

It's a shame when our hearts are in the right place ... but our actions betray us.

What is it in the human soul that seems to so much enjoy shaming others? for little to no reason? or at least a halfway decent seeming excuse to do so? 

= = = =

Music:

Heh ... it's almost funny ... I was literally laughing at how amusingly simplistic, diatonic, etc. the original melody to this song was ... not that it was not without its own charm ... but then it became this beautiful song from another realm ... amazing how ... if you just listen to what some sounds are trying to say ... you can help them be heard the way they want to be heard ... and should be heard. 

Of course, the tonality soon thereafter changed into wholetone and octatonic scales ... after a transition through some natural minor variations of the original theme ... but those were all just neighboring dimensions ... within which the original theme turned out to exist within ... .

I feel a certain sense of the vibe from the now popular show "Stranger Things" ... though that was not a deliberate effort on my part ... .  Nonetheless ... well ... I'll leave that to you to decide. 

= = = =

Album art: 

Picture I took of the expanse known as "space" while it was disguised in this beautifully cloud covered blue sky ...  once upon a time ago ... shares that ghostly sense of the music ... so ... well ... here it is.  

= = = =

Connections between the above: 

No idea ... well ... heh ... none worth mentioning ... .

The Expanse

"Keep Pushing Thru" is a celebration of an upgrade in my music production system, using the upgraded system. 

The words are inspirational, and seem descriptive of the music itself, which is likely why they occurred to me. 

Lyrics:
Keep pushing thru 
till you get to 
where you need to 
get to.

Keep Pushing Thru_Four to the Floor Remix

"Collaborate_Let's Work Together Remix" is a remix of my original song, "Collaboration." ^_^ 

In this remix, I take various lines, sounds, etc. from the original piece, and change them ever so slightly or slightly more than ever so slightly...and rearrange the structure of the original piece...then...well that's pretty much it, actually. ^_^ 

Some more words occurred to me while producing this piece and, though I usually do not include every word that ever occurs to me while producing electronic music, this time I decided to throw these ones in: "Let's work together." 

It's pretty much just the definition of the title word of the original piece...though it's also got the invitation to perform said notion...so that's nice, too. 

^_^ 

All in all, it's a slightly harder style than the other two variations: more spaced out with it's constant risers and descenders (drops) and all; it's spacier with the echoing toms, which are also ever increasing their cut off frequencies; and the strict rhythmic back beat is back to pump the lot of 'em. 

So, I s'pose I ought to have said it is a spacier style...though it's got the harder sound as well. 
^_~

FREE 3mix Single HERE!

Collaborate_Let's Work Together Remix

So this mix most notably sets the bassline, harmonic theme, and melodic improvisation, originally recorded at 108 bpm, within percussion which plays at 81 bpm.  

In this sense, it is multi-temporal.  That said, 81/108 = 3/4, which thus results in more of a synchronized such experience.  

There are, of course, other more subtle changes from the previous mixes, but I will not describe all of them here.  ^_^

Subsequently [Take 3, Mix 3]

Me elderly kitten woke me up by meowing the melody of this tune.  Of course, I fleshed it out a bit, but it is entirely based upon Budster's melody.

In case you're curious, it's set at 85 bpm.  Turns out, he was singing on, primarily, an F, with a slur up a minor third, then back down again.  The bass seemed right on Db.  The rest went from there.

Budster

Woke up with this bassline motif in me head.  Went ahead and sketched it out soon thereafter.  The bass sound is that of the Sawer, based on its Bottom Feeder preset.  Later I felt that doubling the line an octave down filled it out more completely.  In case you're as curious as I was when I awoke, the note sequence is F-Ab-Bb, with rhythms as heard, clearly falling into some triplets in the second bit.  I played variations in this bassline using the Akai Fire controller -- amazing device!

A basic 808 drum kit provides the beat.  Essentially it primarily expresses a mixture of quarter notes and triplets.  Of course, I varied this central rhythm using the same Fire device.  

The strings, voices, and vocoding are provided by the Behringer VC340 -- such beautiful analog strings!  Wow.  I improvised harmonies and lyrics throughout this song.

Reverb was provided by the TAL Reverb 4 which I set myself to appropriate parameters.  This reverb was used for all percussion except for the bass drum, the upper frequencies of the bassline, and the vocoder+synth part. 

Fruity Delay 3 provided the echoing effect.  For the bass, this was based on the Resonator preset.  For the vocoder+synth, it was based on the Ping pong preset.  Of course, I tweaked both to fit the piece.

The lyrics are rather unintelligible and improvised, so I cannot list them here.  It's only been a few days since the passing of my wife's father, so the words and, indeed, the performance were all influenced by the emotions of this time.

I tapped out the tempo which turned out to be at 102 bpm, which I used for the first few takes.  Then I tapped it again, adjusted it, and it turned out to be 88 bpm for the next few takes.

Some subtle adjustments to the overall song were made, of course, in the mastering process, but it is heard almost completely as it was performed.

Morning Beat [Take 1]

006 is the construction movement.  007 is the deconstruction movement.

The following is the description for the latter, which contains much, but not all, of the description for the former.  A complete description of it is available upon download.

Keystep + Neutron.  Recording of a performance based around wiring a patch on the Neutron, also using CV outputs of Keystep, was how Spacious Analog Improvisation 007 was done.  This improvisation is centered around its deconstruction, i.e. undoing the patch.

The construction (part of the description of Spacious Analog Improvisation 006):

Keystep + Neutron.  Recording of a performance based around wiring a patch on the Neutron from scratch, also using CV outputs of Keystep.

In this case, it turned out I only used the midi, CV pitch, and CV gate outputs of the Keystep.  That said, I wired each of the CV outs to many inputs of the Neutron.  The only outputs of the Neutron that I used in the patch were the invert, attenuator, multiplier, and sum outputs.  The attenuators were patched into each of the oscillator inputs.  Both of these signals initially came from the CV pitch output of the Neutron.

I'll have to admit, I don't recall exactly how I wired the rest of the patch.  Although I also recall that I fed the CV gate output of the Keystep into the gate inputs of the Neutron, amongst other things.  I also made use of the pulse width inputs of the Neutron, I believe through the CV pitch output, but it could have been the CV gate output, of the Keystep.

Wait, actually, I do remember plugging the CV gate output of the Keystep into the sample and hold input of the Neutron, possibly also the sample and hold clock input.

Near the end of the improvisation, I also fed the CV gate output of the Keystep into the VCF input and the VCA input of the Neutron, although, after performing with the connection for awhile, I believe I unplugged the wire from the VCF input ... but I could be mistaken.

At any rate, somewhere along the way during the improvisation, perhaps earlier on, I felt that it would be best to not make the oscillators generatively patched, but to instead keep them as a more simply performable parameters.  As the shape parameters were also having quite a beautiful effect, I decided the same for them.

Also notable in this performance is that I tweaked every knob on the Neutron at some point or another.  Even so, the oscillator, VCF, and attenuator parameters were the central controls of this piece.  Perhaps also of some interest is that I generally kept the drive parameter quite low and only turned up the tone parameter as felt right at the time.  In general, I felt like pursuing non-overdriven, pure timbres in this performance -- less bright, more dark.  On a similar token, the built in delay of the Neutron was kept at minimal levels, aside from the mix parameter, which itself was only ever slightly above 50%, until near the end of the improvisation.

In this exploration, I made use of the Keystep's polyphonic sequencer.  As such, I kept the Neutron in paraphonic mode.  The primary tonality, at least as played into the Keystep, was based around a G minor chord.  Of course, much variation in the actual frequencies came about through adjustments to the other parameters of the Neutron, primarily via the tune, attenuator, modulation depth, and envelope depth parameters.

The deconstruction:

Well, much of the above was still adhered to, e.g. the general aesthetics of the improvisation.  The order in which I pulled cables out of various inputs and outputs is obliterated from memory, or at least I am too lazy at the moment to write it all down.

To be sure, however, I did so with the utmost care and sensitivity within the sounds occurring at any given moment in this improvisation.

What might be less obvious, although perhaps expected, is that I also deleted steps in the sequence performed into the Keystep in 006 for this 007 piece.

Spacious Analog Improvisation 006

Expedition 016 Notes:

Continuation of expedition 015, which the following details.

Based on Behringer DeepMind 12 G-110*Klangzauber! preset.  Of course, much was changed from there, some prior to recording the improvisation.

As I have taken a liking to doing, I also used the Valhalla Shimmer, Eventide Blackhole, and TAL Reverb 4 reverb VSTs.  Notably, I also improvised with the settings of the plate reverb within the DM12 itself, as well as the other effects of this preset.

The BPM setting of the DM12 was set and kept at 20 BPM, the lowest setting easily available.  As such, the elements which are heard in this improvisation which exceed the sense of this tremendously slow tempo are all obtained through timbral changes of the sound itself.  Contributing to this impression is of course the delay already a part of G-110, the parameters of which I also improvised upon.  Other more obvious contributions are made by the LFOs, the resonance of the low pass filter, and the overall gate of the sound.

I also improvised on the keys of the DM12, to be sure.  That said, I only played them in a usually sparsely spread over time fashion, focusing on the timbral changes each time.  Each time I played the keys, it was a simple 3 octave repetition of a single pitch.  Those pitches loosely followed what turned out to be a primarily C natural minor scale, with some visitations to B major and Db Major.  As these keys were played with such infrequency any further debate about modes or what have you would seem to be less than apparent in significance.  Well, if you slow down your sense of harmonic changes and the like, which in so many ways suits this performance, you might find more meaning along those lines than I consciously intended.  True to improvisation, however, I followed what seemed to be right at the time.

Within this expedition, 016, there is some noise that occurs.  It came about by dialing in the sustain parameter in the delay effect of the preset within the DM12 all the way up to full tilt.  It felt nice to hear it, so it occurred a few more times thereafter.  Other distortions are audible from time to time from other sources after these events, e.g. through the high pass resonance, the LFOs, or the detune variable.  Of course, various combinations of characteristics also were to blame (or be thanked?) for such noises.

An overarching structure within this exploration was that of the gate slowly making its way down to its minimum value from its maximum.  

Other parameters continued to change as they did in the previous jaunt, that is to say, as it felt right at the time, or, equivalently, how the sound seemed to want to sound at the time.

Soundscape 016

Expedition 017 Notes:

Hardware:
Arturia Keystep, Behringer VC340, Behringer Neutron. 

Non-native to FL Studio Software:
Valhalla Shimmer, Eventide Blackhole, TAL Reverb 4, iZotope DDLY Dynamic Delay.

Native FL Studio Software:
Maximus, Fruity Parametric EQ 2, Fruity Stereo Enhancer, Fruity Limiter, Wave Candy.

Process:

Well, there were two layers of improvisations this time, which I have done before, although not quite in this way.  

The first improvisation consisted solely of the Keystep and the VC340, along with a headset mic for the latter.  As I am prone to do with the Keystep, I slowly built a sequence over the course of the piece.   On top of that I improvised on the VC340 keys, as well as with its parameters.  As it turned out, I only used the mic to vocode my breathing from time to time.  

As for the tonality of the strings and such, slight sporadic detunings aside, it was essentially built around, well, F# Major, although the particular mode(s) at any given moment were peripheral in significance at most since this piece is, as is most often the case for me, not entrained to any particular scale otherwise.  In fact, if it were not for the layers of reverb, each resounding for ages, I would have more likely strayed from the simple modal diatonicism entirely. 

I then recorded the second improvisation over the second while it played back.  This time, the Keystep and the Neutron were the devices I used.  This was primarily a semi-self-generative patch on the Neutron for which I tweaked the various parameters.  It is a rather complex patch for which I switched the original CV controls from the Keystep.  This time what was originally controlled by the pitch outputs of the Keystep now controlled the patch for the modulation.  The gate output took over for the original pitch output patching and modulation output took control of the original gate patchwork.  Also of note is that I sent the headphone output of the Neutron to the "Osc 1+2" input of the Neutron, giving a wonderfully hard to predict feedback loop for the patch.

Initially, I was concerned that this peculiar patchwork would not suit the VC340 improvisation, but I found a perfect sweet spot from which to start.  It turned out to fit with the first improvisation more than I had even hoped it might.  What a wonderful surprise!  They meshed so well together, it was like investigating the same soundscape by re-experiencing it, only with an enhanced vision of the surroundings.  I look forward to more of these deja vu approach improvisations in the near future.

As an aside, this is the first piece I improvised while listening through my Bluetooth earbuds.  I would not dare to do so if they were not BT 5.0, but they are.  Future proofing as always, plus higher sound quality capabilities as well as more dependable connections.  In fact, I did not have any problems with such things until I decided to do a preliminary master while still wearing them.  I knew they would not be good enough for that, but I just wanted to see how far I could push them.  Perhaps with my soon to come new music production laptop, combined with a future pair of more high quality earbuds I might even be able to do that.  We'll see.  Of course, I figure I will master with a wire connection even just to be certain, even if it that ever is an option.

At any rate, I am much happier with the overall result of this expedition into sound than I even thought I might be during the process.  The intense heat in which I improvised the VC340 part clouded my head, and I could only hope my feelings were right.  Turns out they were.  I improvised the Neutron layer in a cooler climate and so was able to feel that it was indeed right.

Soundscape 017

Expedition 018 Notes:

Hardware:
Arturia Keystep, Behringer Neutron

Software:
FL Studio, Valhalla Shimmer, Eventide Blackhole, TAL Reverb 4, iZotope DDLY Dynamic Delay, Eventide UltraTap, Fruity Parametric EQ 2, ImageLine Maximus, Fruity Limiter

Process:
This expedition through sound utilized, yet again, the patchwork on the Neutron of the previous soundscapes.  In fact, the reconfiguration of the CV outputs of the Keystep were kept the same as that of Soundscape 017.  This time, however, there was only one layer of improvisation.

The self-generative nature of this patching is explored for its own sake in this piece -- so many different textures and behaviors!  It is a truly beautiful soundscape, although perhaps not too well suited for background listening during focused work on other things.  This soundscape is best experienced with full attention given to it.

One note of interest, the UltraTap was inserted into the perception of these sounds in the post production process, at which point it was carefully dialed in to best fit the structures herein.  So far, this is a less than common technique that I employ, yet the delay effect of the Neutron was so lovely already, I felt that even more echoes would highlight some of the geological features, and indeed it did.

I might also note that the delays were fed through reverb in the post production.  The DDLY was routed into the Shimmer, while the UltraTap was sent through the Blackhole.

It should also be mentioned that this is the first sonic expedition wherein I used the gentle mastering presets for the Maximus and the Fruity Limiter which I finally got around to saving in the previous soundscape.  For these more ambient pieces, a softer touch is best when it comes to compression.  That said, a less conservative approach to stereo imaging is also quite desirable.

Overall, this is a more distant perspective, i.e. quieter piece.  As such, one might wish to zoom in, i.e. turn up the volume.  Then again, I find that relatively lower volumes can be quite as enchanting as higher ones, if not more so sometimes.  For example, I tend to allow the sounds to ring out fully at the end of these expeditions.  Sometimes, if you keep listening intently, you can almost hear the sounds continue, even after they have, in reality, diminished to silence.

Soundscape 018

Expedition 019 Notes:

Hardware:
Moog Subsequent 37

Software:
FL Studio, Valhalla Shimmer, Eventide Blackhole, TAL Reverb 4, Eventide UltraTap, Fruity Parametric EQ 2, ImageLine Maximus, Fruity Limiter

Process:
I was concerned about whether or not my synth was damaged by prolonged high heat exposure while I was away on vacation, so I needed to check it out and make sure it is still completely operational.  Turns out it is!  Thank Goddess ... .  This improvisation consists of me starting a sound from scratch and testing every knob on this synth.  Of course I did so in a very musical way.  As such, this process is also an exploration of a lovely soundscape that we can enjoy for years to come.

In fact, by the end, near the 23 minute marker or so in this piece, I found a sound that sounds so nice that I spent a few hours after this improvisation was finished to fine tune it and save it as a preset.

I must say, I also became much more acquainted with the ins and outs of what makes this synth tick.

All together, this venture turned out to be quite a rewarding experience.  Of course, I expected it to be as much, given the synth and all -- a truly beautiful instrument, indeed.

Other notes:
I should say that, despite the audible dynamic changes, I never once touched the volume knob on the synth during this improvisation.  All such changes in volume come directly from changes in the sound itself through other parameters.

Also, I decided to explore sonic terrain wherein the Valhalla Shimmer VST was not set to a shimmer effect, per se.  Instead of the usual 12 semitone shift it was set to a more subtle 0.08 pitch shift.

Also also, the UltraTap was configured to act as yet another reverb.

Soundscape 019

Future Blues has never been this squelchy!  ^_^  lol.  But, yah, it's a grand tune.  The complexity of the piece is partially due to the music following the sample of spoken automated dialogue from a phone call to the EDD - Employment Development Department.  It's also partially due to the fact that this is a remix, wherein I often take a piece of music to another level.  

A bit of polyrhythmic pitch bends in each of the main pitched instruments is fundamental to the complicated squelchiness.  At rany rate, there are other elements of this song which contribute to its over all loveliness...but which something or another catches YOUR attention? 

Favorite, follow, and so on!  (Free DL, too...).  

EDD [Recession Remix]

Note:
===
Each layer of this piece was recorded in 24-bit bit rate, 192 kHz sampling rate quality and gently mixed and mastered, so listen to it through your best audio listening devices.


Hardware:
======
I created and used, what I like to call RubberBand Boxes, one out of a shoe box, giving the higher plucked sounds and cymbal-like effects, and the other out of a craft box, primarily giving the lower plucked sounds.

I also created a Plinko-style marble rolling instrument using simple materials.

I placed piezo contact microphones in each one of these instruments.

Behringer, of course, made the Neutrons, although I, of course, created the patch wherein each of them communicate via a few rather complex feedback loops.  That said, in this case, I did not feed either of the Neutrons any midi data, so the complicated patching mostly yields subtle nuances in the drones created through the delay parameters on each.

Hence, this soundscape is another layered one, wherein I first improvised with the marbles in the Plinko board, then played the lower end RubberBand Box, then the higher, and then improvised on the Neutrons.  As such, aside from the digital effects, this piece is  created through purely acoustic and analog instruments.


Software:
======
I have yet to install all of my VSTs that I have on my previous laptop into my new one, so instead of spending my music making time installing VSTs, I decided to go ahead with those which are already installed.

The effect VSTs I used included Rob Papen's RP-Delay and RP-Verb, the TDR Nova, and the FL Studio native plugins known as the Fruity Stereo Enhancer, Fruity Convolver, Fruity Reeverb 2, Fruity Delay 3, Fruity Delay Bank, Transient Processor,  and Hardcore.

I was stunned at how well Transient Processor made the RubberBand Box inputs more musical.  

I was also after VSTs which can output frequencies well above 20 kHz, since the 192 kHz sampling rate at which these performances were recorded reach far beyond the usual range.  Much to my surprise, the pedal effects VST called "Hardcore" contains a delay pedal which does exactly that!  Less surprisingly, so does Fruity Convolver.  In fact, this latter VST can be adjusted to 192 kHz sampling rates!
 
Note:
===
Some VSTs, although none of the FL Studio ones, proved less reliable at this higher recording quality.  I was lucky enough to nevertheless capture some beautiful moments with them, although I will be on the lookout for VSTs which are made to handle such environments. 

Dedication:
=======
I dedicate this piece to everyone at EBI, especially the students with whom I had the good fortune of exploring mathematics and assisting them in their own creations of RubberBand Boxes and Plinko boards.  I also dedicate this piece to the student who unexpectedly left this life soon after my departure.  May you all find piece in the memories you have.   

Also, if this particularly peculiar piece is not per se to your preference, rest assured, there will be much more RubberBand Box and Plinko board music to come!

Soundscape 022

Still trying to get the TipTop Audio Trigger Riot module to be clocked at audio rates.  To be sure, it is going at 961 (31^2) bpm in these pieces, although I'm still not sure how I managed to do that ...
and it is still not being clocked by external sources.  This time I thought I'd try using the square wave output of the Behringer Crave after adjusting the signal in various ways, but I suspect the amplification of the signal is still not up to the Eurorack standards of voltage.  Really need to get a hold of one of them oscilloscope modules, so I can see clearly exactly where my signals are and are not.

In the process of attempting to make the above happen, I, again, had to make a pitstop to record the awesomeness happening along the way.  That awesomeness would be these pieces.

I started by completely dismantling my previous patchings for Periodic Phenomena, then patching things up in a similar, but different, way.  Even so, I kept the midi commands, i.e. the bassline, and rhythms of Periodic Phenomena as they were.  So, these pieces are another testament to the versatility of ideas -- something I like to enjoy quite often, even if  usually not quite to this extent.

At any rate, the instrumentation is still similar in that two Behringer Neutrons and a Crave were used.  That said, the second Neutron in this piece is solely used as a source of heavy modulation of the first Neutron, which itself gives the rather exquisitely nuanced and varied melodic lines.  There are only a few forms of sound design which are _not_ used in one way or the other in its formations, e.g. wavesplicing.  Amplitude and Frequency modulation, however, are used in many more ways than one, as well as the analog maximum waveform constructions of four signals in two different ways.  Audio rate amplitude modulation of wavefolding parameters was also used.  A sort of analog wavetabling was also used in the final sounds coming from all of this craziness.  Super freakin' cool sounds, really.  So I just absolutely had to record a few takes of it before moving on with my project.
 
Anyways ... keep an ear out for the www.swircle987.bandcamp.com release for the audiophile (96 kHz, 24 bit) copies of these tunes, along with a more thorough description of the intricate patchings, etc which were involved in the making of them.

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round, Third Cycle]

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round, Second Cycle]

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round, Fourth Cycle]

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round, First Cycle]

Periodic Phenomena [Eighth Round, Fifth Cycle]

My Angel [V Day Mix]

You are my angel
angel
angel
angel.

You fly with me through
Heaven.
You saved me from
Hell.

You raised my six back to
seven.
You picked me up when I
fell.

My Angel [Day After V Day Mix]

97
193

The above numbers are notes regarding the measure numbers of when the majority of the various polymetrically arranged elements of this piece come together again.  It's essentially based around a 3 on 4 polymeter, stretched over time and applied to multiple aspects of each sound, etc., e.g. the phase shifts of the sine waves which comprise this soundscape.

The initial intent was to study the spatial abilities of a lovely program by Sennheiser in so far as providing 3-dimensional positionings of sounds.

To do so three separate three-octave arpeggiations are employed.  Of these, the first, second, and third arpeggiations start on C, G, and Eb, respectively, with their octave patterns as follows:

1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3;

2, 3, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3;

and

2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3.

The latter two arpeggiation patterns are, of course, cyclic shifts of the first.

The arpeggiations beginning on C and G are the ones which undergo the polymetric spatial treatments, whilst the one starting on Eb remains central.  Note, a fourth sine wave voice is utilized in the lowest register, pushed even further center.

Each of the first two arpeggiations is polymetrically transposed chromatically (real transposition) up and down by one semitone, forming multiple "triads" based around Eb.  "Triads" is in quotes because, for instance, one of the harmonies formed is Db, Eb, and Gb -- not your typical triad.

The envelopes of each voice, except for the lowest, slowly morph into slow attack and release times by the middle of the piece, after which they gradually return to their initial settings.

The piece on the whole is composed such that it may be played repeatedly, without pause, such that the patterns will continue to iterate unperturbed. 

All but the lowest voice sing through a convolution reverb, which itself is fed through yet another reverb.  The two reverbs are, resp., spread through 50% and 100% of the stereo spectrum.

A touch of tube saturation colors the full mix.  Otherwise, no further stereo field treatments are implemented.

Spatial

Support this musical odyssey on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/swircle987

Also find me on YouTube:
I have begun what I plan to be a long term method of sharing my music, i.e. live streaming improvised electronic music productions on YouTube.  So tune into my channels to watch AND listen.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSwircle987/videos

Also find me on iTunes, Spotify, etc.:
I also distribute some of my music to most of the popular music streaming and purchasing sites.

============
General: 
============
All of my music is completely original!  Check out my reposts, too ... for they are also mine.
    
============
Bio: 
============
Once upon a time, a long arse time ago ... I began creating music with just my computer, a piano, and a guitar.  During those times, I learned about making music by actually making it.  With the computer, I composed.  With the guitar and piano I improvised.

To this day, these are still my primary music making media, although I have since incorporated hardware synthesizers, DIY instruments, and Eurorack.  I now use digital, analog, and acoustic instruments and sounds to compose and improvise music.

============
Quote:
============
"Reality: my least favorite hobby."

~~ Swircle 987

(And, yes, feel free to quote me on this one.  ^_^)

Swircle 987

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