echo magic I (a composition)
One of my current classes is about computer music composition. In the class we are encouraged to think about what roles computers can play in the making of music.
I developed a simple computer program using Max/Msp that takes eleven sound samples and repetively sequences them in random order. During playback, the sounds are delayed (this is where the echo magic happens) for different time periods and durations.
The idea is heavily inspired by Eno’s 1975 masterpiece “Discrete Music”, where he uses “self-regulating and self-generating systems” so that the composer can “tend towards the roles of planner and programmer, and then beome the audience to the results.”
For my first composition using this method I sampled myself playing lap steel as the source material. The results are very beautiful. Take a listen: