in quantum i explore different computer-based syntheses for sound generation. inspired by the computer’s potential to produce continuous sound through the juxtaposition of discrete, miniature sonic events, the album employs a wide range of finely composed pitches, long-paced drones, complex textures, minute sonic gestures, and silence--to inspire active listening. i began working on quantum in november 2010 after nisi jacobs invited me to participate in “point play” at brooklyn’s diapason gallery. jacobs’s idea was to bring together four artists (michael schumacher, adam kendall, richard garet, and myself) to compose individual works using roctor (real-time octophonic router)—a max/msp patch that i created for sound spatialization on an 8.1 audio system.

for “point play,” i composed broken continuum. my aim for this piece was to explore two related phenomena that alter audience perception:

1) phase relationships; specifically, the direct consequence of architecture upon the piece.

2) blocking: the effect of the audience’s physical presence upon the piece.

the architecture of diapason gallery was fairly neutral. it was an approximately 500 square foot, box- like white space with a high ceiling, carpeted floor, and no windows. as the audience entered the space, listeners heard dynamically highlighted, muted, modulated, or pitch-shifted tones as a consequence of their interaction with the architecture. they were encouraged to walk around, listen to the space, and experience how the phenomena described above created new content. the stereo version on quantum creates a similar effect when played through a full-range speaker system (35hz-22khz), one that is loud enough to really saturate the space of playback (headphones are not recommended).

another aspect explored in broken continuum is the physicality of sound. to accomplish this i restricted my sonic palette to certain textures at pitches that can be felt by the body, such as pitches at the edges of the audible frequency spectrum. with these concepts in mind, i composed riemann sum (disintegrated), a piece for thorough listening. its spectrum and stereo imaging varies according to how loud it is reproduced. through the combination of sine tones and granular synthesis, the piece evolves in time so that no grain is repeated at the same volume or position within the stereo field. the texture cycles 5 times in a period of 15 minutes, with each cycle separated by silence. the piece’s structure evolved naturally from the design of its sonic material. i was more interested in achieving a certain sound quality, even before conceptualizing its overall structure. initially i thought of making a continuous piece out of a single texture to sculpt during performances with the eq, but ended up focusing my attention on the precision of the first two minutes. after listening for an extended period of time, i grew tired and needed breaks of silence. this pattern influenced the overall aesthetic of the piece.

composed by wolfgang gil between november 2010 and november 2011
mastering engineer: taylor deupree (http://www.12kmastering.com/)

special thanks to: airi kiryu, wilhem boulay, david grubbs, john jannone, michael schumacher, nisi jacobs, richard garet, and diapason gallery.

wolfgang gil, 2016