patchsetup
The rather uncreative names for these pieces come from my working to set up a number of control-patches enabling my laptop (digital) to control the new synthesis modules (analog) I was using. The first piece relied on envelope-generation and note-generation capabilities from the laptop to schedule long tones created by fairly complicated synthesis patches on my modular system. I'm not sure what I think of this one. It seems a little long as a piece, and perhaps ideally it should probably exist as an open-ended algorithmic system. The more I listen to it, though, the more I'm growing to like it. That's probably good.
The second piece explores sequencing, especially with a second Korg SQ-1 sequencer (I bought one last year). Two of 'em now! They're set to control two (two of 'em now!) Behringer (yeah, I know) Model D minimoog clones. This piece is reminiscent of some of the summer-seq-modular2023 pieces I did with my first Korg SQ-1. The difference is that this piece was done "live" -- no overdubbing using Logic Pro or Ableton.
The first of these patchsetup pieces was also performed "live". Like I said, it could possibly work best as a standalone/open-ended musical system. patchsetup2 was done "live", but I twiddled a few knobs to unfold the piece.
patchsetup3, however, was done by recording small fragments of sound and repeating/arranging them using the Logic recording software. One of the synthesizers I bought this year was a clone of the 'classic' ARP 2600 (ARP was the big competition for Moog synthesizers back in the 1970's). The 2600 has a somewhat complicated patching scheme, so Anna Meadors and Seth Cluett pointed me to the ARP 2600 Patch Book. I worked through it and tried to reproduce most of the patches. If I found one I liked, I saved the sound of it onto a Logic track. Then I edited them all together to produce the music.
I did buy one non-electronic instrument. I've always loved the grand sound of a 12-string guitar, and I had enough money left in my little budget to purchase a D'Angelico 12-string guitar from Sweetwater Sound. patchsetup4 is the sound of that guitar stretched. I did include some subtle synth sounds in the background.
LIke a lot of my work lately, I improvised these pieces as I went
along. One musical impact of that approach
is that I indulged many of my most
clichèd techniques: loads of reverb, knee-jerk stretch of
sounds (12-string guitar!), long, evolving drones, plenty of
echo, etc. But I have such fun doing these things!
Brad Garton
June, 2024
