"SPACEROCK: Music from a Metal World" is an ensemble of four experimental computer music instruments, each inspired by one of the science instruments on the Psyche spacecraft. It plays music according to composition information extracted from an image, and it uses its own custom 16-note scale!

INSTRUMENTS:
Gamma Ray/Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS): PERCUSSION. Psyche’s GRNS detects neutrons and gamma rays that are emitted due to the impact of cosmic rays and high energy particles from space. SPACEROCK’s percussive instrument uses a microphone to “detect” the sound of ball bearings sliding down a wire track and impacting several surfaces. These sounds are then processed in MaxMSP.

Magnetometer: BASS. Like the Psyche spacecraft will detect the asteroid’s magnetic field with a magnetometer, SPACEROCK uses a small Arduino-compatible magnetometer to detect the magnetic field of eight suspended magnets as it moves around along a circular track. The movements of the magnetometer are encoded in the composition information from the image, and the magnetic field information is used in MaxMSP to change the pitch and timbre of the bass as the piece is played. 

X-Band High Gain Antenna: LEAD. Psyche will use a new form of communication technology, Deep Space Optical Communication, to send data in photon streams. This inspired SPACEROCK’s lead instrument, which shoots out beams of light as it plays each note. Composition information for this instrument includes the pitch, duration, and color of each note. 

Multispectral Imager: CHORDS. This instrument uses color information from the composition image to play a series of chords, and it displays the chords on an LED matrix.  Sixteen chords are constructed from the sixteen most prevalent colors in the image, and then color data from randomly chosen pixels is used to determine the composition’s chord sequences, chord durations, and LED colors. 

PROCESS:
The composition information image extraction is coded in Python. I also used an Arduino Uno to control two stepper motors for the percussion and bass, an Arduino Feather to read the magnetometer, and a Teensy++ 2.0 to control the LEDs. All the sound generation (other than percussion) and sound processing is done in MaxMSP, and the final mix was done in Logic. I used granular synthesis and delay to process the percussion sounds, and I designed different FM-based voices for the lead, chord, and bass sounds (with inspiration taken from DX7 patches). The video was edited in Premiere, and the graphics were made with Photoshop and Sketches Pro."

SPACEROCK - Music From a Metal World

Everything starts with a sketch. All my projects so are the result of time, skill, and effort, but they all began with an idea and the courage to chase it. In PSY-FI I represent the culmination of my experience in Psyche Inspired. It’s crazy to think that I would have never created these artworks if I didn’t apply to this program. It’s even crazier to think that I might have never tried making a lofi song had I not been selected.

Lofi music is usually playing when I’m drawing or studying (both of which I do a LOT) but I’ve never made a song before. I’ve played violin, ukulele, and drums (I’ve dabbled in guitar and piano too) but I didn’t know anything about music production. However, as an artist and engineer, I am always learning new things, so the idea of diving into a new art form excited me! With the help of Youtube, I learned how to use a digital audio interface (DAW) called Waveform Free and the basics of music production. The song features a chill upbeat melody paired with an offset drum pattern (As a drummer I love songs with interesting grooves). I layered other instruments such as electric piano, pads, and bass to create a warm atmosphere. Oh and you can’t forget the classic vinyl crackle for lofi. Throughout the song, I plugged in audio clips from past space missions. At the beginning of the song, I have a clip from Apollo 11 to represent the beginning of the Space Age. Midway through the song, clips from the Space Shuttle Discovery program symbolizes the second era of space exploration. Near the end of the song the Discovery clip “Nice to be in orbit” represents our hopes for a successful mission that will put Psyche in orbit around the asteroid Psyche.

The illustration depicts Psyche as the “Lofi Girl”. The Youtube channel “Lofi Girl” popularized the genre by making playlists to relax/study to that featured animated illustrations of the Lofi Girl. Psyche has always been the star of my pieces for Psyche Inspired and the more I draw her, the more of myself is reflected through her. In this illustration, she is sketching ideas for new projects as she listens to “PSY-FI”. In the window, the spacecraft is orbiting the asteroid Psyche. In the background, there are Easter eggs of my past projects: “Soul of Psyche”, “Launch on the Runway”, and “Persevere Through Adversity”. Psyche herself is wearing the crochet shirt and armbands I made in project 2. PSY-FI is the culmination of these projects and the finished pieces you see all came from a sketch. So if you’ve made it this far through my monologue, I hope you know that with an idea, perseverance, and the willingness to learn, you can do anything.

SPACEROCK - Music From a Metal World

Mission to Psyche

Related tracks