Transiciones de fase

Paris 1994

 

 

Duration: 11"00

Instruments: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba.

Electroacoustic material and Hardware: 1 Macintosh computer with Sound tools card and Sample-cell card. 1 NEXT computer with SIM-IRCAM card. 4 midi pedals. 4 microphones. Tape version of the electronic part available.

DSP software: SVP (IRCAM), SoundHack (Tom Erbe), Modèles de resonance controlled by Patchwork (both IRCAM), Csound (MIT) controlled by Patchwork, Sound designer (Digidesign).

 

"Transiciones de fase" is an interactive composition for brass quartet and computer. The goal of this composition was to make a sound research about the timbre possibilities of brass instruments (in both the acoustic and electroacoustic domain) , and to present in the piece different states of sound, as a natural element like water can have liquid, gas or ice form. The transitions between one state and the other in the piece are a metaphor of a chaos processes where we go from regularity to irregularity, from certainty to uncertainty, from stability to instability.The theories of Chaos have also inspired me to create the overall structure of the piece which is a sort of "fractalisation" of the ratio 3:2 which is represented by the length proportion of the sections, phrases, rhythmic motives, etc. The idea that microcosms is equivalent to macrocosms (again inspired in fractal theory) is also reflected in other aspects of the piece. The melodic and harmonic material for example were deducted from the FFT spectral analysis of Tuba and Trombone slaps, these analysis served also to make the timbral synthesis transformation in the modèles de resonance section, so Timbre = Harmony and melody. Another example are brass attacks which are granulated into smaller and smaller grains of sound. I also used the metaphor of "Phase transitions" from chaos theory (Turbulence in thermodynamics) in the macrocosms , as in the transition between different sections, masses of sound, states of rhythmic order and disorder, and in the microcosms , as in the transition in the timbre of one sound which goes from stasis to activity, such as the beating produced by playing and singing to the octave into the instrument, when the singing is slightly detuned. My aim is that all these characteristics have generated a music which evokes the complexity of different physic and biological phenomena in nature. Due to the exclusive digital transformation of brass sounds, the acoustic and the electroacoustic domain are complementary, this has helped to make the music organic. I hope also that the interaction between the instruments and the computer has enhanced this "organicity".

The electronic sounds, drawn by the instruments that play, were processed and mixed down beforehand with the computer, but there is also Digital Signal Processing in real time with the IRCAM next station. One part of the sounds processed in the studio were treated with a Phase vocoder, using the techniques of stretching and convolution (cross synthesis). The other sounds were created by analysis and re synthesis of brass instrument samples, either by using the IRCAM program modèls de resonance, or by using a granular synthesis control patch that I developed with Patch Work. In the DSP in real time I control parameters of reverb combined with filtering and harmonizer (for the first section of the piece, measures 1-28), and two spatialized delay control patches for the end of the piece (measures 116-130). For the control of the different real time parameters of the NEXT I use random algorithms within fixed graphical evolution curves. I did the same for the synthesis control parameters of the generated granular clouds. As for the triggering of sound processed at the studio, there are two direct disk long premixed sections ("modèls de resonance" in measures 29-53, and granular synthesis in measures 76-106) and some shorter. On the other hand, In the third section I use short midi sequences which control a sampler (sample cell) and which are spatialized through 8 different speakers. All events (real time, midi, direct disk) are triggered by the performers with 4 midi pedals.

"Transiciones de Fase" was premiered at IRCAM with the ensemble Court Circuit directed by Pierre Andre Valade and also played at ICMC 1995 in Banff Canada. This piece was awarded with a nomination at the Bourges electroacustic music contest en 1996 and with the 2nd prize of the Russolo contest in 1996.

 

Transiciones de Fase. Score for the fourth section (granular clouds of brass instruments)

 

Duración: 11"00
Instrumentos: Trompeta, Corno Frances, Trombon, Tuba.
Material electroacústico y hardware: 1 computadora Macintosh con una tarjeta de sonido Sound tools y una tarjeta de Sample-cell. 1 computadora NEXT con la tarjeta SIM-IRCAM. 4 pedales midi. 4 micrófonos.
DSP software: SVP (IRCAM), SoundHack (Tom Erbe), Modèles de resonance controlado por Patchwork (ambos del IRCAM), Csound (MIT) controlado por Patchwork, Sound designer (Digidesign).

“Transiciones de fase” es una composición interactiva para cuarteto de metales y computadora. La motivación de ésta composición fue la de realizar una investigación sonora acerca de las posibilidades tímbricas de los instrumentos de viento de metal (tanto en el campo acústico instrumental como en el electroacústico) , y de presentar distintos estados del sonido, de la misma manera que un elemento como el agua puede presentarse en forma líquida, de gas o de hielo. Las transiciones entre los distintos estados sonoros de la pieza constituyen una metáfora de les procesos “caóticos” que van de la regularidad a la irregularidad, de lo cierto a lo incierto, de lo estable a lo inestable . Las teorías de “caos” me inspiraron también para crear la estructura total de la obra que constituye una especie de “fractalización” de la razón 3:2, representada en la proporción entre las duraciónes de las secciones, de las frases, de los motivos rítmicos, etc. La idea de que elmicrocosmos es equivalente al macrocosmos (relación nuevamente inspirada en la teoría del “caos”) está reflejada en distintos aspectos de la pieza. El material armónico y melódico por ejemplo fueron deducidos del análisis espectral FFT de slaps ejecutados por el trombón y la Tuba; éstos análisis sirvieron también para realizar la síntesis espectral de una sección de la pieza mediante el programa modèles de resonance ; de éste modo, el timbre de los slaps unifica la síntesis sonora con la armonía y la melodía de los instrumentos. Otro ejemplo de la unión micro-macro son los ataques de los instrumentos que fueron granulados y convertidos en nubes de pequeñas partículas sonoras. También utilizé la teoría de “Transiciones de Fase” (el fenómeno “caótico” de turbulencia en la termodinámica) para realizar transiciones en el nivel macro de la pieza - entre las diferentes secciones, masas sonoras, estados de orden y de desorden rítmicos- , pero también en el nivel micro, como en la transición del timbre de un sonido que va de un estado de estabilidad a un estado de actividad - el pasaje de legato a vibrato, luego a frulato y finalmente a la ejecución de notas discontínuas por ejemplo. Mi propósito es que todas las características que he descrito aquí hayan generado una música que evoque la complejidad de diferentes fenómenos físicos y biológicos de la naturaleza. Debido a la transformación exclusiva de los sonidos de los “metales”, los campós acústico y electroacústico se complementan, y ésto hace que la música sea más orgánica. La versión original de la pieza fue hecha con un sistema de interacción por computadora del IRCAM. “Transiciones de Fase” fué ejecutada en el IRCAM en 1994, y ha obtenido dos premios en los concursos internacionales de Bourges y de Luigi Russolo.