February 12th, we did a session with Michael Duch on double bass, exploring auto-adaptive use of our techniques. We were interested in seeing how the crossadaptive techniques could be used for personal timbral expansion for a single player. This is a step back in complexity from the crossadaptive interplay, but is interesting for two reasons: One is to check how useful our techniques of modulation is in a setting with more traditional performer control. Where there is only one performer modulating himself, there is a closer relationship between performer intention and timbral result. And two: the reason to do this specifically with Michael is that we know from his work with Lemur and other settings that he intently and intimately relates to the performance environment, the resonances of the room and the general ambience. Due to this focus, we also wanted to use live convolution techniques where he first records an impulse response and then himself play through the same filter. This exposed one feature needed in the live convolver, where one might want to delay the activation of the new impulse response until its recording is complete (otherwise we most certainly will get extreme resonances while recording, since the filter and the exitation is very similar). That technical issue aside, it was musically very interesting to hear how he explored resonances in his own instrument, and also used small amounts of detuning to approach beating effects in the relation between filter and exitation signal. The self-convolution also exposes parts of the instrument spectrum that usually is not so noticeable, like bassy components of high notes, or prominent harmonics that otherwise would be perceptually masked by their merging into the full tone of the instrument.
Take 1, autoadaptive exploration
Take 2, autoadaptive exploration
Self convolution
Self-convolution take 1
Self-convolution take 2
Self-convolution take 3
Self-convolution take 4
Self-convolution take 5
Self-convolution take 6