Forbin Accenta Electronica & RADIOPHONIC EXPLORATIONS

YouTube Uploaded by JeffreyPlaide on Jun 4, 2011

"Forbin Accenta Electronica is an entirely electronically-produced experimental composition using the KX-Synth X16software synthesizer. The KX-Synth X16 is a successful and extremely flexible software re-creation of the famous EMS VCS3 Putney or various Synthi models, using a virtual pin matrix to inter-connect the various oscillators, filters and modulation effects together. For this work, twin KX-Synth X16 synthesizers were connected in parallel within the VST host. Both synthesizers responded to playing, making the sounds truely bi-timbral, with both outputs able to be recorded by the host software for later integration into a multi-track environment. Various presets were used and modified to create etheral tones. Most of the patches employ ring modulation , or were configured by the virtual pin matrix to add ring modulation and extra feedback delay to create metallic and etheral melody lines. Those who every wanted to play an EMS VCS3 or Synthi synthesizer can have a feel for what it is like playing a KX-Synth X16 VST synthesizer on their own computer. The experience is extremely satisfying and open for much exploration and experimentation. The first mix comprised a reverberant tonal line with two tracks of a lone reverberant synthesizer line with heavy short feedback delay. These tracks were mixed down to one stereo track and slowed down significantly to create a more dreamy combination. Added to this was a metallic vibration tone with very short delay and heavy feedback. This was faded in and out as appropriate to the first mix. At the end are two time-shifted tracks of a sample of the ending, looped, then progressively slowed down until a very low frequency combination is heard receding into the distance. This then concluded the composition. The final mix was twice-compressed to level out the dynamics, then this version was used for the video. The visuals comprise vintage digital and analogue computers from the last 50 years - including UNIVAC, ORACLE and other systems, including SketchPad by Ivan Sutherland and various radar systems such as SAGE. These images were colourised with painting software, then keyed over modulating derivatives of a striped pattern, or motion-tracked versions of other images. The music reminded one of the feel of the music score in the film The Forbin Project; so the title of the work pays homage to this science fiction classic. The vintage computer images help to connect the music to previous generations when the technological landscape of computer science was of a different order."