ELECTRONIC MUSIC IS HERE comparatively extremely recent times, this thinking is supported by a project TO STAY – OR IS IT? while also nodding to earlier electronic undertaken by IRCAM and McGill Meg Travers, Western Australian musicians and composers by blending University [5]. These objects might Academy of Performing Arts, Edith later pieces with earlier ones. include: audio files, video files, Cowan University, Perth, Western The pieces were chosen from the composition notes, recordings of the Australia, Australia. electronic-industrial genre, and are work (both audio and video), details on E-mail:
performance of a number of SPK’s data, three principal methodologies are works to an audience which included available for the archiving of Re-performance Project people who had seen SPK perform live electronically encoded information: Historically informed performance bases in the past, as well as others familiar • Migration – the migration of its credibility on three main tenets – with the genre. the digital artifacts to current • period instruments and playing technology. In a musical technique offer a different Archival Methodologies context, this might include timbral content to modern Studies in the field of archiving have sampling original instruments equivalents; long been considered purely as and sound sources as well as • this is structural to the culture methodologies of arranging history, but porting software source code to around the composer, no less more recently are interpreted as “a a new platform. important than the musical dialogue between the present and the • Emulation – running obsolete content; past” [3]. This concept is a key one in software in emulation or as • incorporating these features the interpretation of old technologies virtual systems on current rather than presenting the piece into a contemporary context, and digital hardware. This in context with the current requires an understanding of the cultural methodology would allow for sounds and culture results in a technological context, as well as desired the creation of analogue stronger performance. outcomes of the creator. Preserving the electronic instruments on
ability to re-perform works, and not contemporary digital platforms, To understand what is required to simply the output of performance (such including emulated vintage successfully re-perform electronic music as scores and recordings), is the major synthesizers. that is even only a handful of decades element of the archiving, curation and • Re-interpretation – taking the old, an attempt needs to be made to re- preservation of the performing arts [4]. essence of the digital perform these works, one which involves For twentieth century works, the information and reconstructing investigating the sounds within the process of preserving the performability a version of it from that subset music, the sound sources and their of these compositions is complex, of data. This method could see construction, and testing digital involving not only electronic instruments the creation of “remixed” archiving methodologies to re-create of many varieties, but also computer versions of compositions – a them using contemporary technology. media, hardware and software, for later popular contemporary method, This paper outlines such a project. It composers working digitally. Giaretta with successful recordings takes a technical and practical look at the has proposed that each “object” that is released of remixes of digital curation requirements of part of the composition, or assists in composers such as Steve Reich electronic instruments and sound sources providing context to the work, would and Philip Glass. using music primarily from the 1980s – need to be identified and preserved, and Please reference as: [Author(s)-of-paper] (2013) [Title-of-paper] in Cleland, K., Fisher, L. & Harley, R. (Eds.) Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium of Electronic Art, ISEA2013, Sydney. http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/9475 Page numbering begins at 1 at the start of the paper.
Each of the methodologies requires a vintage instruments to sample within Instrumentation and Musicians specific set of materials available to Western Australia were fruitless, so the Industrial musicians have often enable their success. The principal issue Migration methodology could not be described their compositional process in for this project is that of the lack of investigated. Instead, pieces were terms of the equipment they use [9]. documentation on the specifics of performed using Emulation and Re- Tracing the instruments used by SPK instrumentation used by SPK for their interpretation methods. This was was not as simple as referencing their recordings and live performances. Whilst extremely unfortunate, as it has left the own documentation however, as little problematic, it is also not an unusual method recommended in historically exists today. situation with compositions of this genre, informed performance uninvestigated. It was clear from listening to and and provided a testing ground for the However it does highlight the potential viewing live and studio recordings by creation of sound sources by ear rather difficulties in practice of authentically SPK that they made use of a variety of than authentic archival sources. This re-staging a piece of electronic music instrumentation – from very differs from a project undertaken in 2005 from only 30 years ago. contemporary (at the time) analogue to convert the works of composer The value of following the Migration synthesizers and the first commercially Jonathan Harvey from hardware methodology was illustrated in 2008, available digital sampler, to found and instruments into software equivalents. In when composer Marc-André Dalbavie built “junk” percussion. Their live show that instance the composer was able to was faced with the difficulties associated also featured electric bass guitar (though provide details on the sound source with attempting a re-performance of his this is not apparent in their recordings). hardware and configuration, leading to Ars Electronica prize winning piece Little documentation exists on the specific software being found or Diadémes from 1986. Dalbavie specifics of SPK’s electronic instruments developed to produce virtualized discovered that the absence of a working beyond some references to their use of performance instruments [7]. Yamaha TX 816 synthesizer and the lack the EMS Synthi [10], but aural and Whilst Giaretta in Advanced Digital of suitability of the software emulators, visual investigation of their recorded Preservation describes a model using almost prevented the work from ever output provided enough information to migration as the sole strategy for the being presented as anything other than a identify their principle equipment. Video successful archiving of digital recording in the future. Attempts were of the group performing live in Madrid information for the re-performance of a made to recreate the sounds using the [11] clearly shows the bass guitar and piece of electronic music, this has not Native Instruments FM Synthesis assorted industrial percussion, and also been rigorously tested and indeed in software synthesiser, FM7, however includes a keyboard identifiable as a wider digital preservation circles, there Dalbavie was unimpressed with the Roland RS09 String Machine. Still has been little comparison done of the sounds and did not feel they were photographs from other performances in three methodologies and their ability to appropriate for his composition. A the mid-1980s clearly show a Yamaha produce usable, readable digital satisfactory solution was brought about DX-7 synthesizer and a Fairlight CMI information. by sampling a hastily repaired FM sampler in their backline. The presence Importantly, this methodology also synthesizer located in France, and using of the Fairlight is significant in that it pre-supposes that the information to be the samples in lieu of the instrument. would have allowed them to move from migrated is purely software, and the The presence of the composer in making tape-based sounds to digital samples, migration of hardware instruments may decisions on the replacement however it also represents a puzzle. The prove impossible without reference instrumentation cannot be undervalued CMI pricing was approximately $65,000 hardware to sample, or the ability to in this instance. It is clear that, should in 1983 and was purchased principally rebuild an instrument from scratch where the composer not be present, an by a small number of artists and studios schematics exist. There is also the understanding of the context (both from with flourishing careers and sizeable possibility that the sounds in the work, a technology and cultural perspective) of incomes, which justified the whilst technology dependent, are not the sound sources for the work at the extraordinary expense of the instrument. “synthesized”. Examples of this can be time of its composition, and awareness This is not an instrument that would be found in many of the works of John of the ability of current technology to expected to be in the regular lineup for a Cage which make use of sounds - or reproduce these components is central to band of SPK’s popularity, so this their absence- on specified radio the question of “what was the intended photograph was an important part of frequencies, now altered due to changes sound?” in attempting to curate or putting together their instrumentation. in radio spectrum use. A review of a reproduce these performances. Notably, with the exception of the recent concert of John Cage’s Variations Whilst much of the theory is from the Yamaha DX-7, none of their electronic (I-VII) summarised the problem: appraisal areas of archives and museums, instruments included MIDI capabilities, the final assessment of the success of the though they would have been able to Few works have dated as quickly as preservation methodologies for this implement basic control voltage those of Cage, and the banks of old reel- project is based firmly in the study of triggering from the drum machine to the to-reel tape recorders, transistor radios performing arts and specifically, EMS Synthi. Also aside from the and theremins still in use like Cuban electronic music. To assess it as an dedicated sample based Fairlight CMI, cars mark him as the first 20th-century archival project would not effectively no computers can be identified in their composer requiring historical test the theory’s ability to deliver the setup. The majority of the electronic performance practice. [8] sought result, and would only evaluate instrumentation would have been played the ability of each methodology to by hand with the ability to trigger some In the case of this project, attempts collect information, not on the need for pre-prepared sequences on the EMS through local musicians, recording the type of information to make a Synthi in real time. Whilst the Synthi studios and instrument retailers to locate composition re-performable. and the String Machine were both analogue synthesis instruments, they largely because of the painstaking nature differed in one important area: the String In his blog, Stephen Mallinder of the of the process and the potential for errors Machine had a limited number of preset band Cabaret Voltaire [13], provides in transcription. sounds not unlike an electric organ, responses from a number of music artists Unless substantial effort is expended whilst the Synthi was a truly flexible to the question “What do you feel has in creating this documentation it would analogue synthesizer, potentially giving been lost as we have moved to seem that while it is possible to utilise an artist the unlimited sound palette predominantly digital forms of the Emulation methodology to re-create dreamed of by composers such as performance / playing live/ DJ’ing?” a performance, the methodology is Russolo and Varése. which include: reliant on the ears of the new performers This project made extensive use of • “The risk of technical failure. without specific technical, computers and software to recreate the Living on the edge of the documentation of the sounds to re-stage pieces, as suits the methodologies of sequencer.” works. This indicates one type of Emulation and Re-interpretation, making • “Theatre” documentation that is needed but not use of tools common to contemporary • “We've lost that big often included with scores of works for times. Two major Digital Audio performance experience, composers to be confident that their Workstation products were used, where you need many compositions will sound as they intended Ableton Live and Cubase, on Apple musicians / instruments to into the future. MacBook Pro laptop computers. create all the individual Re-interpretation of electronic music Many software instruments were elements. All this can now be works also relies on sympathetic auditioned for use in this project, with done in a single box by a performers and though it is perhaps not the following chosen – single musician.” intended to deliver sonically accurate • PureMagnetik MachineKits • “Spectacle, seeing somebody renditions, this methodology requires a (Linn Drum model) hunched over a laptop is never broad and detailed understanding of the • Soniccoutoure Synthi AKS very interesting” culture and technology surrounding a • PureMagnetik String Machines To address these issues, though much of composition to deliver a performance (RS-09 model) the music for this performance would be that is not simply a work played in out of • FXpansion DCAM Synth generated and played by laptops, it was time, but takes something of the original Squad (Amber, Strobe and necessary to have a substantial amount and re-interprets it for a contemporary Cypher models) of the music played live to provide audience. theatre, and for the performers to play Migration may then be the only The FXpansion DCAM Synth Squad not just the instruments, but roles within current methodology that could deliver software stood out from the other the group. The risk of technical failure verifiably sonically accurate software instruments. It models in was still apparent (perhaps heightened in performances, though this methodology software the hardware of a number of terms of complete failure being a also comes with a potentially high level synthesizers and synthesis technologies – possible end result) in the use of of difficulty to undertake. For the Amber is an Additive Synthesis plugin, computer-controlled material, and in the purposes of this investigation, it was not Strobe a String Machine, and Cypher inclusion of live instruments. possible to source working instruments and FM Synthesizer. Whilst the other to sample and migrate, and this speaks to software synthesizers provided a the chief difficulty faced when adopting collection of created patches, they Archive This! migration as a methodology: the reliance offered few ways in which the user could Though the intentions of the project were on functioning original instruments from alter those sounds or presets. DCAM to investigate the requirements for which to create the base sounds. Synth Squad, whilst authentically archiving electronic music, the artifacts However, assuming this barrier can be modeling vintage synthesis methods, that might be left behind by this overcome, it points to an intriguing gives the user full control over the sound performance may not be useful for situation - where synthesis offers a produced. FXpansion are quite anyone in the future wishing to recreate limitless world of sound possibilities, descriptive of their process of literally it. Whilst the software files used in the sampling of these sounds to rebuild them disassembling old synthesizers and project are available, they are in may be the most promising technology rewriting the circuit in computer code. proprietary formats that realistically may to capture the ability to perform their [12]. not be readable in as little as 10 years. music. Consideration was given to why SPK Even during the development of the had used a bass guitarist live, but there tracks, the two principal technologists of was little in their recordings of the the project were unable to share files References and Notes instrument. Upon reflection it was between two popular contemporary 1. Internet Movie Database. (2012). Graeme Revell. realized that in the studio they may have Digital Audio Workstation packages