Of Cells & Seeds (linear & exponential)

Of Cells & Seeds (linear & exponential) is an experimental, original electronic music composition created by various texture sequences produced by a Eurorack modular synthesizer system. The composition is of a longer-form presentation comprising four sections or movements - formation, growth, propogate and renewal. The electronic tectures attempt to describe the formation and growth processes of the smaller organisms for life - that of cells, that of seeds. Each movement in the composition was individually created. Each movement comprised three or four stereo tracks of synthesizer textures. These textures in themselves are a stereo sub-mix of up to 16 individual pulsating tones created by interconnecting oscillators, ring modulators and filters/VCAs to produce tones which fade in and out periodically in a slow mode. Inspiration for the fading tones came from listening to the sounds of the "Crystal Palace" (a kind of sound source sequencer) used by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, particularly in the late 1960s. I attempted to emulate this functioning by the use of oscillator tone sources fed into a filter, with the CV frequency being modulated by an LFO triangle wave. Many, many varied tone sources were created. Many different oscillator/function combinations were experimented with to arrive at the large number of timbre effects, making up each atmospheric texture, making up the various tracks to make up each section/movement. It was envisaged in using complex oscillator sources or multiple oscillators mixed to create each tone event. An example of this would be using 4 x Pittsburgh oscillators and the two MakeNoise DPO outputs mixed to create a 6-oscillator chord. Another strange option would be in inter-modulating all four oscillators so that each successive oscillator modulated the FM CV input of its neighbour, then creating a "loop" of FM CV control so that all four oscillators are cross-modulating each other. Other examples include double ring modulation using 3 x oscillators and passing the final product through a low or high pass filter. The Synthesis Technology Cloud Generator was used to provide an extra sine tone or sub-tone for extra enhancement. From the four prime modes - formation, growth, propogate and renewal, each mode was made as a sound texture, and these textures were assembled into one master mix and then equalised at certain points for variety. The visuals are a mixture of logically-created animated background textures - a product of pure video synthesis formations. Some backgrounds contained elements of patterns generated by various wipe patterns, then logically combined to produce a loop of animated linear design. Other backgrounds were colourised moire effects. On top of these backgrounds were elements of both cell formations and of seed distribution. Flowering formations appear, along with animated cell life and seed movements. Some seed animations used an external key to incorporate internal cell textures. There is movement all over the place. Nothing remains static. The cells form a nucleus of life. The linear and exponential terms in the title refer to the kinds of motions exhibited in the animations, and seem fitting for a dynamic cellular or seed colony. The total experience is a formal and serious contemplative study of the concept of growth dynamics as artistically portrayed by electronic music and videographic animations. The composition is more of a longer-form expression due to the assemblage of the four prime conceptual elements. The composition functions as a kind of meditation - taking the viewer into the small and microscopic, though with more universal associations. The cells and seeds take the viewer and listener on a journey. The cycle of life is explored within a tiny seed. Grains of life within an ocean of life.