“Exquisite Corpse” is a Surrealist game / artistic process where a work expands by the nearly random choices of different participants, with limited information about the previous work (a single sentence, phrase or word, or a small portion of an image). There are many related concepts in art, game theory, communication and sociology — such as “Telephone” where a whispered message is inevitably altered in the telling, as in the process of folklore transmission. I followed a somewhat similar process with this album.
I began simply by recording a first track. Then, using the same tempo, each successive track was a recombination of elements of rhythm, melody/harmony, sound design, and actual samples from previous recordings, along with new material. During this process, I reflected on decay and evolution, like plants growing from the mulch of their ancestors. I also observed how improvised gestures and melodies, spur of the moment sound design decisions and creative choices became “hardened” into established norms/traditions for later work to follow.
No so-called “AI” was used for the creation of any part of this album.
In the notes below I’ve omitted basic utilities and modulation, EQ/dynamics, etc. All tracks were recorded in Bitwig Studio, which provided the tempo clocks for this album. For controllers I primarily use a Linnstrument 128, a Tesseract Sweet Sixteen mk2, and three Nektar NX-P expression pedals with a MIDI Expression Quattro. For mastering: Wavesfactory Spectre, Toneboosters Equalizer Pro, Waves Curve Equator, DDMF MagicDeathEye, RJ Studios Sideminder Max, Voxengo Elephant and OVC-128. Hardware devices are in bold and software/plugins in italics.
1 XQST
- Schlappi Engineering Nibbler feeding and modulating Make Noise QPAS, Noise Engineering Granulita Versio. Clicks isolated with Izotope RX De-Click and processed in Phonolyth Velvet Machine and Wavesfactory Spectre.
- Bitwig E-Kick, Sinevibes Integer. Sequence from 510k Seqund,
- Make Noise Spectraphon side A (chaos mode), modulated by synced LFOs from Bitwig Grid, sequenced by the R2R output of Nibbler quantized by Noise Engineering Mimetic Digitwolis (MD2), with amplitude modulation in Grid.
- Bitwig Snare, Audiothing Fog Convolver 2, Integer, Pubbas Sheepadoodle. Sequence from Seqund.
- Bitig Hat, Noise Engineering Imitor, Freakshow Industries MISHBY, Inphonik PCM2612, d16 Decimort 2. Sequence from Seqund.
- Spectraphon side B’s sine out, Make Noise Mimeophon, Minimal Audio Wave Shifter, Audiority Xenoverb. Sequenced by the other Nibbler R2R output, unquantized.
- Plogue Chipspeech, Unfiltered Audio Spec Ops, Native Instruments Raum. Played on Linnstrument 128.
2 YPST
- Sampled fragment from near the end of XQST, looped in Grid. Audiority Doomagorgon, Arturia Rev-Plate 140, Bitwig Gate, Wavesfactory Spectre. Grid patch with an envelope follower triggers an additional folded sine kick.
- Sampled fragment from near the start of XQST, looped in Grid. Minimal Audio Invigorate, Valhalla Futureverb, Noise Engineering Librae
- ALM Busy Circuits Akemie’s Castle, Whimsical Raps Silhouette with Shadow feedback. Sequence from Make Noise 0-Ctrl quantized by MD2. Silhouette Lens modulated by Make Noise Function; Spot modulated by 0-Ctrl.
- Industrial Music Electronics Kermit osc A through Xaoc Drezno (bit 3 disrupted by Kermit osc B), Make Noise QPAS, Rabid Elephant Natural Gate, Granulita Versio. QPAS frequency and Kermit osc B sequenced from MD2.
- Kermit osc B through Mimeophon modulated by pattern from Whimsical Raps Just Friends and a Bitwig synced LFO; both sides into Mystic Circuits Ana 2; Ana’s Swap output through Make Noise Multimod into Takaab Nearness and Ana’s Mag output modulates Mimeophon delay time. Through Aberrant DSP Lair. Multimod spread modulated by 0-Ctrl.
- Arturia Minibrute 2S through Make Noise Strega, Audiority Big Swarma, Bitwig Harmonic Split (emphasizing non-fundamental frequency).
3 YPRS
- Mutable Instruments Rings‘ two outputs mixed in Nearness, the “right” side distorted by AtovProject cDVCA, both sides into Noise Engineering Lacrima Versio; “Right” side subjected to a Grid envelope; Imitor. The same basic drum sequence as the “snare” from XQST.
- Joranalogue Walk 4 generating noise, Multimod, 4 outputs mixed in u-he CVilization; another Walk 4 channel clocking Nibbler, Out 4 mixed in. Envelopes and highpass filtering in Grid. Integer, Sonic Charge Permut8. Same 16th note sequence as “hats” from XQST.
- Walk 4 at audio rate with different DC offsets into the value inputs; 4 main outputs plus clock into Silhouette; Arturia Filter MS-20, Sinevibes Droplet. Walk 4 clock sequenced by Mutable Instruments Marbles. (Pre-recorded before the track was performed/mixed live.)
- MD2 sequencing Akemie’s Castle, Granulita Versio, CRQL Anina, Valhalla Delay.
- Distorted Rings output through Wave Shifter, Futureverb
- Mutable Instruments Blades sequenced by an R2R output of Nibbler processed by Drezno; Valhalla Delay
Futureverb on full mix at times.
4 ZPRT
- Voice 6 from YPRS timestretched in Sound Forge, Grid patch [allpass delay, Phaser+, highpass SVF, and Mod Delay]
- Walk 4 and Function in feedback patch with half of Walk 4 clocked by Mutable Instruments Stages LFO, Spec Ops, Lair
- Small fragment from beginning of YPST, DMG Audio Cyberdrive Core, Nudist Audio Nudistort, Uhbik Runciter
- Click from XQST looped in Grid sampler in Cycles mode, Audiothing Speakers
- Akemie’s Castle played on 0-Ctrl quantized by MD2 with feedback modulation from Function, Mimeophon with time modulation from Stages
at end: timestretch, Wavesfactory Cassette, Valhalla Plate
5 AQQT
- VCV Rack [Twist VCO, Basil, 2x CF100, sequence from Stages, modulation from WT LFO], Adatpr Utopia
- Noise Engineering Toros Iteritas Alia, both sides of Natural Gate, Granulita Versio, Futureverb. Played on 0-Ctrl (Toros & Granulita pitch as well as NG CV)
- Voice 6 from YPST looped, Pedal Partners x Maneco Labs Mesmeriser, Wave Shifter
- Arturia Augmented Grand sequenced by Seqund
- Voice 4 through De-Click in “clicks only” mode, Auburn Sounds Selene, Sonic Charge Echobode
- Noise Engineering Ataraxic Iteritas, Noise Engineering Lacrimae Versio, Inertia Sound Systems Hinder, Integer, amplitude modulation in Sound Forge, Cassette
(the Toros part was originally set up for ZPRT but not used; I repatched it for AQQT using the original sequence knob settings).
6 BQPT
- VCV Rack [Resonator, Group Delay, Font, matrix mixer, 4 WT LFOs and 2x edoQuant]
- Voice 4 from AQQT with some changed settings and sequence length. Seqund sequence was copied and transposed.
- Voice 6 from AQQT, Bitwig Freq Split with UJam Finisher Retro and Futureverb in different bands.
- Sampled fragment from near start of XQST granulized and looped in Grid, Moog MF-104S delay
- Fancyyy K-Accumulator with Morph modulated by a sine from Spectraphon, PSP Pianoverb 2. Sequence from 0-Ctrl quantized by MD2.
- GForce Halogen FM, Sheepadoodle, Lese Smear, Futureverb. Played on Linnstrument 128.
7 BRQS
- K-Accumulator feeding Spectraphon in SAM mode, which drives K-Acc’s Tracking input (we hear only the K-Acc main outputs). Noise Engineering Desmodus.
- Voice 1 from XQST at half speed; Velvet Machine, Cytomic The Scream, Bitwig Delay+ [Audiothing Moon Echo in its feedback loop]
- Halogen patch from BQPT through Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star V3, Walrus Audio Slöer, Audiothing Wires, Mesmeriser
- Clicks from voice 3 of YPRS looped, PCM2612, Integer
- Strega & Minibrute 2S, Anina, Futureverb
8 CRPS
- Sampled feedback delays from voice 4 at the end of BRQS, pedal-controlled pitch manipulation, Lair, Velvet Machine
- Short segment from voice 6 of AQQT at 1/8 speed, tremolo on 16th, 32nd and 64th note speeds, Uhbik Grainshift up two octaves, Utopia, Kilohearts Filter Table. Pitch sequence from Seqund
- Voice 6 from YPST with the play head controlled by multiple LFOs and step sequences in Grid. Spec Ops, Valhalla Delay
- Arturia Buchla Easel V, FX chain [Bitwig Harmonic Split isolating the fundamental, K-Accumulator in tracking mode, cosine output into Multimod, 2 outputs into Mutable Instruments Beads, Melda MAGC to match dynamics to the Easel output], Darkstar V3, Slöer, Spec Ops. Played on Linnstrument.
- YPRS Voice 3 reversed, heavily EQd and pitch shifted in downward steps in Sound Forge, through my experimental BinScreen FFT filter.
- A tiny segment from the start of YPRS in between the Rings hits, timestretched and progressively slowed in Sound Forge.
- Snippet of ZPRT pitched down, Velvet Machine, Valhalla Plate.