This work was commissioned by the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio presented at The Substation at 'Sonorous V' 16 July 2022.
This is a spatially arranged binaural mix for headphones as representation of an Octophonic composition presentation and performance. Listen on headphones for best binaural effects.
'Sounds of thin places' explores multiple instruments and the “anomalies and interruptions in old circuits, where the machine appears to break through and speak for itself from the M.E.S.S collection, including the Yamaha CS-80, Steiner Parker, ARP 2600, Roland 100M system, Synthi VC3 mkII and Ondes Musicales to create intense drones, crackling signals, wavering harmonics and emerging melodies. Within the octophonic sound system, tones and textures overlap and intersect, slowly morphing and oscillating to create an immersive, cinematic listening experience, along with a performative element engaging with the wavering, noise-drone characteristics of the EMS VCS3 Putney and Synthi MKII.
Environmental recordings from in-between places and responsive, resonant synthesized sounds were arranged across a composition stretching 23 minutes in a full 360* circular sonic space (8 x UPA-1P speakers), with a live improvised noise ending on two VCS3 synthesizer’s the VCS3 Putney and the VCS3 Synthi. The movement of the 24 mono source sounds in space was made possible utilising Reaper and SPAT (ReaVolution) from FLUX Immersive.
"The circular octophonic space allows for sounds to move and overlap, resonating with each other, which can create unexpected sonic effects such as harmonics and additional tones. Working with the octophonic space in mind meant I could prioritise these ephemeral and liminal sonic effects. I’ve always worked with a place in mind, a subconscious place or an actual place or somewhere wavering in between, I feel like these liminal sounds represent the deeper connections to place we can have if we can listen closer to the details or those things which are not immediately obvious to us…"
www.disrhythms.net/sonorous-v/
released January 26, 2023
Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio
Jonnine Noakes (technician)
Keelan O'Hehir (video and photo documentation)
The Substation
FLUX immersive technical support
The attending audience