Electromagnetic Communication: A Three Part Journey

Ideas

I dabbled with software and morse code a month ago. I'd created some Morse code using the freeware WinMorse2 (1). For mine, the Farnsworth style of Morse was funkier! So, funky Farnsworth @ 15 words a minute (mostly) using the words and phrases:

Faraday
Maxwell
Marconi
(Yes, there are notable exceptions …)

Electromagnetism
Radiowaves
Ships at Sea
Across the Oceans
Wireless Communication

… and the letter 'e', which is a Morse code dot (singular), star of the show!

I'd hoped my experimentations might kick start things. Not this time. Great idea but where to start? A vague plan (finally). Was I trying to say too much? Why say anything? Wireless communication. It was right there, why add anything?

As a result of my lengthy internal pre-production(!), I sat down on Saturday morning and scribbled out a rough sketch in about 2 minutes.

The Sample Library

From these source samples I compiled a (large) sample library, working from my rough outline.
I re-processed the few samples I'd gotten from MetaSynth (2) and Peak (3) in Spear (4), which is where the majority of the action happened. Most sounds are manipulations of dry (virgin!) morse code samples in Spear, Audacity (5) and Pro Tools (6). I concentrated on frequency shift, time stretch, movement and transposition of sound blocks in Spear. With Audacity I trimmed and cleaned up, altered appropriately and saved to a folder called 'Regions'. In Pro Tools: Extensive use of long and short pans, volume and pan automation, reverse, time stretch, Peomiser effect and repetition (loops).

As I said, a large sample library ...

Outline (please note: headings on score slightly different these)

1/ Random Space
Before human intervention. All electrical energy is unhindered, unbound, uncontrolled.

2/ Electric Dreams
Introduced by a stark tom drum beat. Humans slowly learn to harness the flow for a purpose, ever more crystalline and defined. A human voice hints at sci-fi dreams. Dots and syllables.

3/ Electromagnetic Communication
A series of dull throbs at around 16-20 Hz. Quietly at first, Morse and other forms of wireless communication take over our lives. A human voice hints at the imminent wireless reality. Whole Morse words.

*ElectroPCM.mp3*

References:

Haines, Christian. Perspectives in Music Technology (Theory) and Creative Computing. Semester 1, 2007. EMU, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
(would also like to thank Christian for his timely precise advice when I was having problems pulling focus)

Carroll, Mark. Perspectives in Music Technology (History), Semester 1, 2007. EMU, University of Adelaide, South Australia.

1/ WinMorse. 2007. http://www.winmorse.com/ (accessed June 15, 2007).
2/ MetaSynth 4. 2007. http://uisoftware.com/MetaSynth/ (accessed June 12, 2007).
3/ Bias Peak Pro 5. 2007. http://www.bias-inc.com/products/peakPro5/ (accessed June 15, 2007).
4/ Spear. 2007. http://www.klingbeil.com/spear/ (accessed May 15, 2007).
5/ Audacity. 2007. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (accessed June 11, 2007).
6/ DigiDesign. 2007. http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm? (accessed May 15, 2007).

* This work is dedicated to the wireless pioneers, Pierre Schaeffer and the genre he defined *