Open/Close

Since so much of my music involves drones, and often full-spectrum sounds -- filling available space both in the time dimension and the frequency domain -- I wanted to explore emptiness a bit more on this album. When I was a taiko drummer, the director used the term "ma" to mean emptiness, open space, serving as contrast to a constant barrage of drumming -- almost an alternate form of dynamics. The occasional ripple on a pond, rather than a driving rain which constantly disrupts the surface.

In addition to leaving the time dimension more open, I also wanted to explore limited spectral ranges a bit more. For my drone textures I took more inspiration from the noisier, more experimental side of shoegaze music (e.g. Lovesliescrushing) which can be extremely heavy in terms of distortion and is often quite lo-fi, but it has a bright, sunny, dazed, euphoric, and even feminine aesthetic.

No "AI" of any kind was used in for any part of this work -- not the music, not the artwork, not the text. I don't use it in any aspect of my life. It's problematic on many levels, the results just aren't good, and what's the point of creative work if you don't do the creativity yourself?

All tracks were recorded in a single take in Bitwig Studio, with only the most minimal sequencing, and most effects baked in. In some cases these recordings were processed and edited further. In my notes below, hardware is in red bold and software in blue italics. I've generally omitted basic utilities, simple modulation sources and dynamics and EQ processing, unless they played an unusual role.

For controllers I use MN 0-Ctrl, Roger Linn Linnstrument 128, Tesseract Sweet Sixteen mk2, three Nektar NX-P expression pedals with a MIDI Expression Quattro, and Intellijel Planar 2.

For mastering: Wavesfactory Spectre, Toneboosters Equalizer Pro, Waves Curve Equator, DDMF MagicDeathEye, RJ Studios SideMinder Max, Voxengo Elephant & OVC-128, with metering from Voxengo Span Plus & Correlometer and YuLean Loudness Meter.

BW = Bitwig
IME = Industrial Music Electronics
KHS = Kilohearts
MA = Minimal Audio
MI = Mutable Instruments
MN = Make Noise
NE = Noise Engineering
NI = Native Instruments
OBNE = Old Blood Noise Endeavors
PP = Pedal Partners x Maneco Labs
RE = Rabid Elephant
UA = Unfiltered Audio
WA = Walrus Audio
WR = Whimsical Raps

Starthief Elitist and Horse are some older, unreleased experimental VST plugins that I wrote.
"REDACTED" is an audio processor currently in beta test. I'll update this page after its official release.


01 Opening

1: BW Grid [Swarm osc PMd by sine osc], MN Strega
2: Xaoc Odessa main outputs, REDACTED, PP Mesmeriser, MN Strega. Odessa sequenced from MN 0-Ctrl.
3: Odessa sine fundamental output, AtoVproject cDVCA, MN Mimeophon. cDVCA frequency also sequenced from 0-Ctrl.
4: BW Grid [REDACTED left output converted to a squarewave with a comparator, Sallen-Key filter], OBNE Dark Star V3, WA Slöer
5: GeForce Halogen FM, u-he Uhbik-Q, KHS Filter Table, Valhalla Delay
Entire mix through HY HY-ESG, Dawesome Hate, UVI Relayer, NE Desmodus.


02 Creeping Feature

1: NE Ataraxic Iteritas & Toros Iteritas Alia, RE Natural Gate, MI Beads, u-he Twangstrom. Sequence from MI Marbles.
2: VCV Rack [NLC 4Seq, Befaco Rampage, Cella Twin Peaks, Animate Cirucits Folding, Valley Plateau], Aberrant DSP Lair.
At end, Starthief Elitist experimental spectral filter and Valhalla Room


03 Blue Crush

Madrona Labs Aalto played on Linnstrument 128, WA Slöer, OBNE Dark Star V3, Wavesfactory Spectre. Valhalla Delay at end.


04 Prickle-Prickle

1: MI Marbles and MN Multimod generate the sequencing/modulation signals for everything. Marbles x2 output feeds Multimod input, t2 is used for sync and t1 to modulate Phase. Two outputs are used to directly control the pitch of both sides of MN Spectraphon (sine output only), and are also highpass filtered in MI Blades to generate envelopes for Doepfer A-130-8 VCAs.
An envelope follower in Bitwig Grid further expands the dynamic range; a chain with 2x Sinevibes Integer in serial, BW Blur and BW Chorus+ creates a crude reverb.
2: Xaoc Odessa's pitch is sequenced by Multimod's Index output; AtovProject cDVCA level and freq modulated by other Multimod outputs; overall level is ducked in Bitwig by another envelope follower tracking voice 1.
Both channels through Sinevibes Droplet for patterned delays.


05 Lithosphere

BW Grid [3x pulse oscillators syncing each other circularly, sequenced by polyrhythimic step sequences, mixed into three parallel delays without feedback], Starthief Horse chorus, Pubbas Sheepadoodle, Wavesfactory Spectre, NE Imitor, Audiority Big Swarma, Mod Sound More, NE Librae.
Audiority Velvet Machine & Wavesfactory Cassette at start, Velvet Machine at end.


06 Ventil

1: WR Just Friends, 6 outputs into WR Silhouette, RE Natural Gate. Sequence from MN 0-Ctrl (both Pitch and Intone, for inharmonic notes) & modulation from Auza Wave Packets. (Note there's no additional reverb here except at the very end; the reverb tails from Silhouette are encompassed in the LPG decay.)
2: MN Spectraphon (SAO mode), Doepfer A-130-8 VCA modulated by Wave Packets, REDACTED, Audiroity Xenoverb
3: Phone recording of a noisy ventliation fan in a big-box home improvement store, Audiority Velvet Machine, UA SpecOps, Audiority Big Swarma
4: VCV Rack [Befaco Noise Plethora with three WT LFOs controlling serial VCAs], NE Imitor, Sonic Charge Echobode
Valhalla Room at end.


07 Abandon

1: VCV Rack [SynthTech E370, matrix mixer]
2: MN Strega, BW Grid patch [freq shifters, waveshapers, and filters to create crackles], NE Librae
3: Madrona Labs Sumu, Wavesfactory Spectre, BW Grid [2x Sallen-Key filters modulated by Curves LFO with phase distortion], Valhalla Supermassive
4: DecadeBridge Sn, REDACTED


08 Bamboon't

Madrona Aalto sequenced by 510k Seqund with Entonal Studio, EB LOCD, OBNE Dark Star V3, WA Slöer, Melda MAGC, Audiority Velvet Machine, Valhalla Delay.


09 Nicodemus C.

Maurizio Über Basses Miezo, OBNE Dark Star V3, and a LOT of reverb, distortion and other processing both during and after the recording session.


10 Hoping Against History

1: Mario Nieto Harmony Bloom sequencing Arturia Augmented Voices, UA SpecOps, OBNE Dark Star V3, WA Slöer, BW Grid [stereo rotation and a touch of frequency shifter]
2: VCV Rack [2x Pony VCO, 2x Nibbler, Supercell], 2x BW Pitch Shifter in series, NI Raum
3: NE Toros Iteritas Alia, WR Silhouette, feedback patch through MN Multimod.
4: MI Rings & MN Mimeophon in feedback loop, with NE Clep Diaz clocked by Mimeomophon slightly altering Mimeophon's own rate.
Starthief Horse chorus on full mix in places; Audiority Velvet Machine on end.


11 Low Places

1: Neutral Labs Elmyra 2, NE Lacrima Versio, REDACTED. Sequence from MN 0-Ctrl with one step divded by NE Clep Diaz
2: MN Mimeophon & WR Silhouette in feedback, MN Strega.
3: IME Kermit, MN QPAS, Mystic Circuits Ana 2, MI Blades, MN Multimod, Takaab Nearness. Sequence, and envelope into Ana, are from 0-Ctrl.
4: IME Zorlon Cannon mk2, MI Beads, Unfamiliar Spectralsand, BW Loud Split [Audiority Velvet Machine on louder bands]


12 Closing

1: RYK Algo, MN Multimod (as a chorus with both phase modulation and some varying Spread), MN Mimeophon (also as chorus, with delay time modulation), MN Strega through BW Phaser+
2: Inear Display Lancinantes, BW Tool (for autopanning), PP Mesmeriser, Valhalla Vintage Verb
3: IME Kermit (one oscillator following the other in PLL mode), Mystic Circuits Ana 2, REDACTED, UVI Relayer.


13 Vector Cloud

Mario Nieto Harmony Bloom, Plogue Chipsounds, UVI Relayer, BW Grid [vowel filter FMd by a sine oscillator], chain [NE Ruina into BW Delay+ with d16 Decimort 2 in its feedback loop], PP Mesmeriser, Audiority Velvet Machine, Sound Forge Smooth