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This week, we have two remastered tracks--"Valence" and "September." "Valence" represents my discovery of Granular Synthesis (Quantum Theory of Sound, proposed by Gabor in 1948), and its subsequent adaptation to generation using MIDI sequencing software (Opcode's "Vision").

 

Until I came up with this idea for an accessible solution, it was formerly only produced on supercomputers with FORTRAN-based code. In 1989, from a presentation at Berklee's Music Synthesis Dept by guest artist, Barry Truax of Simon-Frasier University (Vancouver, Canada), I figured out how to accomplish the same "clouds" of sonic textures, using extremely small "particles" or "grains" (like sand) of sound produced at such a high rate, the human ear cannot discriminate the individual grains. Examples of granular sound production naturally occurring include a swarm of bees, the sound of rain or hundreds of leaves rustling in the wind, the sound of 50,000 fans all yelling at a stadium event. These complex, evolving sonic textures cannot be duplicated using traditional wave-based electronic instruments. It takes a quantum approach to sound to reproduce the ever-evolving complexity of these sonic textures. In this composition, "Valence," I explore what I imagine the sound of millions of spinning electrons might create (if we could hear them). The effect is somewhat haunting, for there are times where, as the "clouds" evolve you can hear ghostly human voices singing in the distance...spooky, and completely unexpected!