One Grain of Sound

Robert Ek

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This system was initially created in 2022 and focuses on non-pitched sound material from the clarinet, like tongue rams, key clicks, and different types of air sounds. The audio input from the clarinet is fed into a modular synthesizer where it is processed. The module mainly used in this patch is the Mutable Instruments Beads, a texture synthesizer working with granulation. The sensor data from the physical gestures are converted to control voltage (CV) to manipulate parameters in the modular setup. Creating this system was informed by my use of the MiM sensor bell for more than seven years. Given the extensive time I have spent working with the sensor component of the system, my awareness of how certain bodily movement creates particular gestural input is rather detailed. This understanding, combined with the knowledge gained through analyzing performance videos through an embodied perspective, helps me to make informed decisions in the process of designing the mapping that controls the intermedial translation.

Citation

Robert Ek. 2024. One Grain of Sound. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15028001

BibTeX Entry

@article{nime2024_music_13,
 abstract = {This system was initially created in 2022 and focuses on non-pitched sound material from the clarinet, like tongue rams, key clicks, and different types of air sounds. The audio input from the clarinet is fed into a modular synthesizer where it is processed. The module mainly used in this patch is the Mutable Instruments Beads, a texture synthesizer working with granulation. The sensor data from the physical gestures are converted to control voltage (CV) to manipulate parameters in the modular setup. Creating this system was informed by my use of the MiM sensor bell for more than seven years. Given the extensive time I have spent working with the sensor component of the system, my awareness of how certain bodily movement creates particular gestural input is rather detailed. This understanding, combined with the knowledge gained through analyzing performance videos through an embodied perspective, helps me to make informed decisions in the process of designing the mapping that controls the intermedial translation.},
 address = {Utrecht, Netherlands},
 articleno = {13},
 author = {Robert Ek},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.15028001},
 editor = {Laurel Smith Pardue and Palle Dahlstedt},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {September},
 numpages = {2},
 pages = {47--48},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/5OBZSFhxZAE},
 title = {One Grain of Sound},
 track = {Music},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2024/nime2024_music_13.pdf},
 year = {2024}
}