“Making Waves Make Waves”

A first upload from my new experiments in modular synthesis

I [continue](https://disquiet.com/2014/05/20/noob-eurorack/) to explore modular synthesis, with my nascent Eurorack (small format) setup assembled, and then expanded thanks to some loaner modules from a friend. The above track is the first thing I thought was [vaguely upload-worthy](https://soundcloud.com/disquiet/making-waves-make-waves). It’s titled “Making Waves Make Waves” because it’s an early attempt at using waves as both sound and as patterns for effects. Here’s what [I wrote about it on SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com/disquiet/making-waves-make-waves):

>I’ve begun fiddling with a simple modular synthesis setup, using module components in the Eurorack format. This is a recording I made in the afternoon of June 2, 2014. As shown in the accompanying picture, I’m using six modules to accomplish this, one of which (a Doepfer A180) is just to get the audio out. The main sound is from an oscillator. It’s a triangle wave being fed into this filter called the Harvestman Polivoks. An LFO, the Doepfer A-145, is affecting the Polivoks filter as the result of a saw wave. That same LFO is outputting a sine wave that is feeding into the Ginkosynthese, which is affecting a horizontal wave distortion (if I understand correctly, which I likely don’t), which, to bring things full circle, is triggering note values in that original oscillator mentioned at the start of all this. One thing not visible in the accompanying photo is that I used a fairly slow pace to set the tempo with the Ginkosynthese. Anyhow, I’ve been fiddling with this stuff for a few weeks, and this is the first thing that felt uploadable.

Here’s a short loop of that same piece in [Vine](https://vine.co/v/MpHX1jwJ53v):

These are the loaner modules I mentioned:

And my explorations of this can be followed intermittently via the [#modular](https://disquiet.com/tag/modular/) tag.

Deep South Ambient

Michael Ash Sharbaugh's open-ended piece, made in Decatur, Georgia

Ambient music can have an unfinished quality, because it leaves so much space open. “Three Aimless Clouds” by Michael Ash Sharbaugh is less aimless than much such music, though, thanks to several qualities, key among them a rising, siren-like tone that marks the opening of the track, and a melodic insistence that trails throughout. The piece, recorded with “percussion, synthesizers, and found sounds,” ends with a lingering lack of closure, which is apparently Sharbaugh’s intention. He notes in an accompanying descriptive text: “I am willing to collaborate with anyone on a variation of this piece.”

Track originally posted for free download at [soundcloud.com/michael-ash-sharbaugh](https://soundcloud.com/michael-ash-sharbaugh/three-aimless-clouds). More from Sharbaugh, who is based in based in Decatur, Georgia, at [bandcamp.com](http://michaelashsharbaugh.bandcamp.com/releases) and [twitter.com/MDSharbaugh](https://twitter.com/MDSharbaugh).

8-bit Bossa Nova

From São Paulo, Brazil—based musician Asvfuks

There is a lot of intriguing music streaming in the feed of the São Paulo, Brazil”“based musician who identifies as Asvfuks on the SoundCloud service (and on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/asvfuks/), among other places). The track “A Divisão Do João,” by way of example, seems to be based on a snatch of music by João Gilberto, the bossa nova great whose picture is featured on the track. Gilberto’s voice and acoustic guitar appear to be heard at the opening and close of “A Divisão.” A loop of that initial vocal fragment steers the sample into uncanny-valley territory, while the accompanying shaker finds a semi-modern rhythmic contemporary in a broken 8bit beat that persists for the majority of the track, before it all comes to a close with a coda of the original source audio.

Track originally posted for free download at [soundcloud.com/asvfuks](https://soundcloud.com/asvfuks/a-divis-o-do-jo-o).

“SÃ¥ Kan Det GÃ¥”

Alveola unveils her glitchy puzzle.

“SÃ¥ kan det gÃ¥” by the Swedish musician Alveola Ämting lays a tremulous vocal amid a light shimmer of broken static. Her granular sounds, a gentle if brittle smattering of nano-sonic fissures, give way as time passes to her halting, slow-paced intonation:

>I was not looking for trouble
>But I got caught by a siren song
>You keep me busy with your puzzles
>
>I know I should keep off your heart
>But I don’t fancy normal love
>You can hold me responsible
>Cause I’m the one that follows you around

The vocal is lightly processed, the words melding with the background, so where the treated verbalization ends and the backdrop begins is kept enticingly uncertain. Alveola indeed keeps our ears busy with her puzzles.

Track originally posted for free download at [soundcloud.com/alveola](https://soundcloud.com/alveola/sa-kan-det-ga). Alveola Ämting is based in Härnösand, Sweden. More at [alveola.se](http://www.alveola.se/) and her [youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrGqWXjZtZfqWC6ZDu7_3A) channel.

disquiet.com/forums

A new place to talk about sound/art/technology, now in public beta

This is a notification that there’s [a new spot on Disquiet.com for discussing music](https://disquiet.com/forums/).

It’s an open forum, hosted at [disquiet.com/forums](https://disquiet.com/forums). The forum went live yesterday, May 29, and is in public beta. That means: please feel free to join in, but don’t be surprised if not everything functions. The design has not yet been matched to the overarching Disquiet site, and we’re still sorting out how best to bridge the gap between a forum and the comments associated with Disquiet posts.

Right now, to keep things simple, there are just three discussion topics. Two are focused on the Disquiet Junto: There’s [a spot to introduce yourself](https://disquiet.com/forums/discussion/6/junto-members-introduce-ourselves#latest), and [a spot for open discussion](https://disquiet.com/forums/discussion/5/junto-open-discussion#latest). One thing I’d like to do soon is to have a book discussion. If you have ideas for a book for us to read and discuss as a group, there’s also [a thread for vetting possible subjects](https://disquiet.com/forums/discussion/12/what-book-should-we-discuss#latest).