Author: Mark D. Williams

Project Write-up – Homework 4 (Waveform Project 2: MIDI) – “Antiphon”

Homework 4 (Waveform Project 2: MIDI) – “Antiphon”
a Waveform MIDI piece inspired by 2020’s racial equality protests
by Mark D. Williams
2020

As someone coming from the world of Logic Pro X, Waveform’s implementation of MIDI differs from Logic’s (and from my previous use of it). I effectively had to learn a new way to use a function I thought I was reasonably familiar with. Nonetheless, I put myself up to the test with this piece. (Additionally, I wanted to challenge myself, so I used Lowpass and Highpass filters as my EQ.)

I had many ideas for my MIDI piece, but I decided I wanted to create a piece based around a repeated but evolving melody. I familiarized myself with Waveform’s MIDI input and tested out Waveform’s MIDI capabilities, by inputting a few test melodies. I spelled out a few words in musical notes (A-G) to test out the Waveform’s MIDI input and the sounds of its default synths. There’s not much you can spell with just A-G, so one of the sounds I tested it out with was the musical notes spelling out the word “CABBAGE”.
It played back the sound, and sounded like the notes “C-A-B-B-A-G-E” sounded less like musical gibberish, and more like the melody of a song. An anthem.

And from that “CABBAGE” seed, an idea germinated, and an entire piece blossomed.

I shifted the notes up a few semitones, and immediately started working with this now-“D-B-C#-C#-B-A-F#” melody. The concept of a perpetually building and evolving melody (gaining more and more harmonies as it continues) resembled a crowd gaining more and more voices as a movement evolves. Not just an anthem; an antiphon. After that, I immediately knew where I was going.

I created a piece of music inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and racial equality protests of 2020. The title of “Antiphon” means “a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response,” which is what I was going for with the feeling of the piece.

I tried to implement the style of 2010s electronic-inspired (and big room) pop. I specifically wanted to emulate the sounds and musical style of the year 2013, but bringing it into 2020—similar to how one hashtag from 2013 (#BlackLivesMatter) evolved into something greater and has been brought into 2020. In 2020, the fight for racial equality and justice is still ongoing, and is far from truly becoming a reality.
I wanted to make a piece that felt like it could belong in both 2013 and 2020—as the fight for racial equality is just as relevant today in 2020 as it was when the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was born in 2013.

I used those staples of early/mid-2010s electronic-inspired pop: synth stabs, a repeating melody while harmonies are added (building and evolving the melody), that brief moment where the beat is stripped-back and slightly quieter right before the drop, those digital woodblocks, the big boom/whoosh riser at the drop, etc.
I wanted to utilize a grand piano sound at a specific moment in my piece, so I downloaded a VST plugin to use within Waveform: a piano plugin by Versil Studios called “VS Upright 1”. 

 

I gave the piece a synth-stab opening, building and adding onto itself each 2 measures, becoming increasingly powerful.
The first 16 bars, with synths rising in pitch being perpetually added, represent the increasing and rising tensions leading up to our time. The repetitive synth background goes from sounding like a conquest-like trumpet fanfare to a complex modern synth beat—complicated (and brought into modern times) by additional layers rising in pitch, intensity and tension. Meanwhile, the true melody, the titular “antiphon”, slowly goes from being quiet to becoming more and more audible, ringing out against the sounds nearly drowning it out. That melody (the “antiphon”) is played on a 4OSC synth called “Centuries Ago”—fittingly, as this fight, which truly began centuries ago, is still ongoing today.

At measure 25, two synths are panned left and right, respectively. I wanted it to have a slight “call-and-response” feel—feeling both like a protest chant, or like a heated argument.
I used panning and alterations on the melody to musically represent an argument between two hypothetical sides (or in this case, synths). The synth panned to the right (a more muted 4OSC synth) sticks with the original descending melody and keep the melody headed down like before (keeping things the way they were and always have been), while the synth panned to the left is trying to have the melody ascend and bringing it up (trying to change the tune and elevate the (musical) conversation).

Measure 49 cuts out all synths entirely, leaving behind just a stripped-back, muted piano solo. That moment starts with a dissonant crash of notes, and is an emotional, angst-filled piano solo, consisting of all of the past melodies at once, colliding together in one single moment of complex and conflicting harmonies (and feelings) all played (and felt) at once. …Muted-sounding, and played entirely on the lower half of the piano, the solo sounds like it’s drowning—completely below the (middle) C.

The differing melody of the ending measure—definitively upward-moving, yet still feeling unfinished—signifies both the hopeful turn things have taken with things looking up, yet also the still unfinished fight for equality.
The synth echo after the final flourish is played on a futuristic-sounding 4OSC synth called “The Lights”—it lingers on after the final measure, as the lights have not gone out on the prospect of a bright future.

Here’s the full piece, “Antiphon”! Hope you enjoy it.

List of Tracks and their Different Instruments, Filters, and Plugins, etc.:

Track	Instrument (4OSC / Subtractive)	Filters, Plugins, Automation, etc.
lead 1.1	4OSC Basic Poly	+ lowpass filter + reverb
lead 1.2	4OSC Stab Synth	doubling the above but with automated volume at different times + lowpass filter + Chorus effect
lead 2	a modified* 4OSC Basic Poly	+ Chorus effect + lowpass filter
lead 3	a modified* 4OSC Basic Poly	+ Chorus effect + lowpass filter
lead 4	4OSC Flute WMF	+ lowpass filter + reverb
lead 5	4OSC Centuries Ago	+ lowpass filter + reverb
bass 6	4OSC Pick Bass WMF	+ lowpass filter + reverb
bass 7	4OSC Pick Bass WMF, modified to be able to play multiple notes at once	+ lowpass filter + reverb
“DigitalWoodblock”	4OSC Digital Woodblock	+ highpass filter + reverb
bass 8.1	a modified* 4OSC Pick Bass WMF	panned +0.9 Right, forming a call-and-response from one ear to the other + Chorus effect + reverb
lead 8.2	a modified* Subtractive Classic PWM JH	panned -0.8 Left, forming a call-and-response from one ear to the other + Chorus effect + reverb
“chord fade SynthBrass*”	a modified* 4OSC Synth Brass WMF	+ a lot of reverb volume automation, to completely fade out by a certain point
lead – “hear our antiphon”	4OSC Centuries Ago	+ lowpass filter + reverb
“lead – antiphon”	4OSC Basic Poly	+ lowpass filter + reverb
“lead – antiphon 2”	a modified* 4OSC Basic Poly	+ lowpass filter + reverb
leadX	4OSC Strings ‘16 WMF	+ lowpass filter (+ lowpass automation) + Chorus effect + reverb
leadX 2	4OSC Dirtier	+ lowpass filter + Chorus effect + reverb
piano 1	downloaded VST plugin: “VS Upright 1”	+ lowpass filter (+ lowpass automation) + reverb
piano 2	downloaded VST plugin: “VS Upright 1”, modified*	+ lowpass filter + reverb + compressor
“fadeout TheLights”	4OSC The Lights, a really weird but cool synth	volume automation at fade-out + lowpass filter + reverb
big boom	— (sample): https://freesound.org/people/unfa/sounds/189779/	+ Pitch shifter (–1 semitone) aux bus: (aux send)
impact whoosh	— (sample): https://freesound.org/people/chriskalos/sounds/172779/	+ Pitch shifter (–1 semitone) + reverb aux bus: (aux send)
BUS: two samples	aux bus of “big boom” and “impact whoosh” tracks	aux bus: (aux return) + reverb

 

CREATION and Process LOG:

A Mostly-complete Log of my entire process:

Version 1:

• Wanted to have a synth-stab-like melody, building and adding onto itself each 2 measures, becoming increasingly powerful.
• Wanted part of it to have a slight “call-and-response” feel, like a protest chant
• I’ll figure out how to make the leads sound like synth-stabs.
• Currently listening through the 4OSC options for different sounds. For different things that might fit the vibe, I like the 4OSC options “Basic Poly”, “Flute WMF”, “Pick Bass WMF”, “Stab Synth WMF”, and “The Lights”.
  • 4OSC’s “The Lights” is really interesting. It plays a descending pattern of “[2 semitones above]—[1 semitone above]—[the actual note]” for every note entered, and echoes that whole pattern even after it fades out and dies down. So it makes for some dissonant (and often ill-fitting) note additions.
    So unless you removed “4OSC The Lights’s” echo or its descending pick-up it plays before each note, you’d only want to use notes where 2 semitones above (a whole step) would also sound good. (So, if in a major key, it might be best to only input the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and/or 6th notes into “The Lights”, and in a minor key, only the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and/or 7th notes.)
• The countermelody I labelled “hear our antiphon” – I’ll probably add some reverb to it, and try and make it sound a bit like a piano as well, possibly.
  • 4OSC options I like for it: “Centuries Ago”, “Charming”, “Pan”, “Solid Lead”, and “Storyteller”.
  • 4OSC’s “Digital Woodblock” is also cool. Has a very 2010s feel.

Version 2:

• (Coming up with ideas, making those ideas happen, putting them into the music)
• …

Version 3:

• (Coming up with ideas, making those ideas happen, putting them into the music)
• …
• I’ll finagle with what synth my “leadX” track should be, but this is fine at the moment.

Version 4:

• (Coming up with ideas, making those ideas happen, putting them into the music)
• …
• Oh boy, what synth do I use on my “piano1” track?

Version 5:

• I downloaded a VST Piano plugin, Versil Studios’ “Upright 1”: https://vis.versilstudios.com/upright-1.html. Not sure if you’d need to download it if you’re looking at the Waveform file, but all good.
• Turned the velocity up to 127 on the notes in the “piano Upright1” track in an attempt to try to prevent the notes’ start times from lagging behind the beat.

Version 6:

• Okay, since it sounds like the region with the VST Piano plugin is lagging slightly behind the beat (about a 1/16th note late), I shifted the MIDI clip with that plugin backwards a tiny bit (by “-0 | 0 | 060”, or -1/16th of a beat, earlier)
• Added the Subtractive instrument “Classic PWM JH” to the call-and-response bass at Measure 25

Version 7:

• volume automation
• Wanted an audible impact at m.17, so I found a sample: “Big Boom” by unfa on Freesound. https://freesound.org/people/unfa/sounds/189779/
• There was this annoying clicking everytime the 4OSC bass preset “Dirtier” plays a note, so I threw a Lowpass filter on it WITHIN 4OSC.

Version 8:

• added a Lowpass filter on the VST Piano to make it sound less bright
  • Eh, never mind.
• For the ending measure, I moved what I had down an octave but added a quieter version back on top of it in the higher key.

Version 9:

• YESSS, I figured it out! If you want to use an instrument that only allows one note to be heard at once (like 4OSC: Pick Bass WMF) but have it play multiple notes so you don’t have to have multiple different tracks for it, go into “Global” on that instrument and change “Mode: Mono” to “Poly”!
• Added some extra harmony notes in the call-and-response section—more and more voices are joining in.
• Made the harmonies simpler in the first loop of the complex “piano1” breakdown.
• Reorganizing and renaming tracks a tiny bit.
• Pairing up the “boom” with a more “fwhoosh”-sounding sample, “Impact” by chriskalos on Freesound: https://freesound.org/people/chriskalos/sounds/172779/.

Version 10:

• Doubled the melody/harmony with 4OSC “Digital Woodblock” at m.17. 
• Had the idea to stretch out the brief lead-up to the impact of the “fwoosh” audio sample (making the pre-impact twice as long using Waveform’s “Elastique” function).

Version 11:

• Made everything drop out for the beginning of the piano moment at m.49
• Countermelody to piano

Version 12:

• Added this cool fading chord hit at m.25 (to try to transition more smoothly). It’s a Bm7add2 chord, with a modified 4OSC “Synth Brass WMF” as its instrument, reverb, and volume automation for it to fade into silence.
• Tweaked m.49 piano entrance
• it’s filter/plugin time.
  • EQ’d out some high frequencies of “piano Upright1”
• Made the ascending vs. descending melody “musical argument” between the right-panned and left-panned synths more evident

Version 13:

• Made the melody of the high piano part in the bridge lead into / transition into the high note of the “antiphon” melody as it returns
• upped the velocity on the last three notes
• Okay, now it’s really filter/plugin time. Adding them to various tracks

Version 14:

• set master volume to -10
• Filter/plugin time continued: 
  • added Lowpass frequency automation on lead1.1 for when the piano solo ends
  • added Lowpass frequency automation on piano1 for when the other instruments come back in
  • reverb on the leadX “4OSC Dirtier” melodies

Version 15

• Filtering and plugins.
• Finally figured out what synth sound to use for “leadX” — the 4OSC option “Strings ‘16 WMF”, with a significant lowpass filter!

Version 16:

• Added a Bsus4 chord at m.9 and m.17 in that background “chord fade” Synth Brass lead.
• Filtering and plugins (a lot).
• …
• Finalizing!

Version 17:

• Tweaks and changes (volume, reverb levels)
• Done!

Homework 3 (Waveform Project 1) – “Revolve Around You”
a love song from Mars to Earth (made entirely out of samples and my own recordings)
created by and lyrics written by Mark D. Williams
2020

In the library SSLIB, within the folder “Prime Loops”, in a sub-folder titled “Snooth Keys” (and yes, the folder is spelled “sNooth” and not “sMooth”), and finally within a sub-folder called “Smooth Key Loops” (back to “sMooth”, I guess), I found three samples that spawned and inspired an entire piece in my mind:
“Bpm085_JazzyVamp_Gm_PL_1”, “Bpm085_FunkyVamp_Gm_PL_3”, and “Bpm095_AfterParty_Gm_PL_3”.

I heard those three samples and immediately had an idea. 

I began to build an instrumental around those samples, and those instrumentals called to mind an idea of a slightly-jazzy, slightly-cheesy, showtune-esque love song, in 85 BPM in G minor. I wasn’t originally planning on adding lyrics, but those small few samples had immediately inspired me.
In my opinion, I think it’s cool when pieces are able to obscure or shroud the feelings and emotions of the lyrics behind an overarching metaphor: so Space became the theme behind my first Waveform project, entitled “Revolve Around You”. 

So, in addition to the song being an attempted confession of love from the song’s singer to the subject of their affection (from the view of a hypothetical character, not me!), the lyrics would also tell a story: a love song from a personified version of the planet Mars who has feelings for his close friend, the planet Earth.
It’s written from the point of view of Mars, an awkward and aloof nerd but a genuinely sincere friend and idealistic dreamer and aspiring explorer. Mars has developed feelings for Earth—becoming completely flustered (as the Red Planet’s face “goes red”) whenever Earth floats by—and is failing to find the words to tell his true feelings to a close friend he cares deeply about (and wouldn’t want to ruin his friendship with).
Meanwhile, Earth is silently struggling with very real feelings of depression (the Blue Planet feeling “blue”). Earth, like many Earthlings in real life, is afraid of being alone—both emotionally, and in the universe at large. Mars feels a similar way (wanting to know if there’s anyone else “out there” in space), and as an idealistic adventurer, wants to explore and see what’s out there as well. Both have unknowingly going through similar hardships and feeling similar feelings as the other (and, unbeknownst to either, both harboring feelings for each other as well).
While Earth is struggling to find the words reach out for help, Mars notices and reaches out to Earth, and opens up to them—not about his romantic feelings for them, but instead about his similar experiences with feelings of depression. It’s only in both reaching out on their silent struggles with mental health that they’re able to push past and deal with some of their anxiety, mention what’s been on both of their minds, and realize that their feelings are reciprocated—and it’s actually Earth who confesses their feelings to Mars!
They both mean a lot to (and inspire) each other: Mars admires Earth’s perseverance in the face of being continually worn out by and having their resources drained by Life, while Earth is inspired by Mars’s ambition and ability to remain optimistic even when Mars is dealing with struggles of his own.

 

So, anyway, the contents of the piece:
It starts off with the ethereal reverb-adjusted sounds of Waveform’s “Afloat Pad” sample (with a name fitting for the track’s space theme), as two voices (a melody and a harmony) ask each other “Can you hear me?” and “Are you out there?”.

I used the quiet, stripped-back percussion of Waveform’s “Ghostly Beat” drum sample.

The celestial sounds of Waveform’s “Afloat Pad” sample transport the listener into outer space.

I even used my own voice and instruments to recreate other instrument sounds I wouldn’t have access to otherwise—while I love using MIDI, I avoided using MIDI entirely for this project!
That “trumpet” sound? That’s actually my voice (doing my best trumpet impression), with reverb and a low-pass filter. That plucked instrument (creating a syncopated 4:3 rhythm against the main 4/4 time signature) playing in a descending pattern? It sounds somewhat like a mandolin, but it’s actually a sample of me playing my violin pizzicato, holding it and plucking the strings like a ukelele!

 

I was somewhat inspired by the spacey sounds (and frequent usage of overarching metaphors) of musician Louie Zong, some inspiration from the soulful keyboard-heavy tunes of Ray Charles, and added a few musical/lyrical references to “Help!” by the Beatles, “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, and “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane (with the reference to “Help!” fitting with the theme of asking for help, and the reference to “Giant Steps” pairing well with Neil Armstrong’s famous quote “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind”.)

 

Also, the title “Revolve Around You” has an octuple meaning I’m pretty proud of!

• (1.) If you’re enamored/infatuated with someone, your THOUGHTS often “revolve around” that person metaphorically.
• (2.) You might also be PHYSICALLY “revolving around” that person, in hanging out with them a lot)
• (3.) The SONG itself “revolves around” the person it’s being sung to, given that the song is entirely about them.
• (4.) CELESTIAL BODIES in space literally revolve around each other, fitting with the space metaphor (and the concept of the song being from “Mars” to “Earth”).
• (5.) For millennia, humans believed that the planets and Sun (e.g. including Mars) all revolved around the Earth (and right now, “Mars” is revolving around “Earth” too).
• the initials of the title are “RAY”, alluding to:
  • (6.) a literal “RAY” of sunshine (because space)
  • (7.) a metaphorical “RAY” of sunshine (which Earth is to Mars, and possibly vice versa).
  • (8.) and, this soulful keyboard-heavy tune was partially inspired by the works of RAY Charles!

So if you haven’t noticed, I’m a fan of wordplay, and just about all the lyrics have at least some space-related secondary meaning. An example of part of one of the verses I wrote:

“Houston, we have a problem
Like the sun you shine bright, with the light in your sol/soul–
–our systems cross paths, I’m in your orbit, and I’m gravitated towards it
My mind goes missing, spinning-out-of-Mission-Control”

…with a bunch of layers incorporated into it (which I’m pretty proud of):

• There’s the famous quote (which I found out was actually “Houston, we’ve had a problem”!) from the astronauts of Apollo 13 upon encountering a problem on the moon. Here, it’s the singer (“Mars”) having a bit of turmoil over these feelings for the song’s subject (“Earth”).
• There’s a fun bit of harmonic dissonance specifically on the word “problem” (signifying that there’s, well, a problem).
  • That line is Mars’s internal dialogue, and the problem is him being completely head-over-heels with Earth.
• “Sol” is an alternate name for the Sun (giving “light in your sol/soul” more meaning), and “soul” combined with the next line’s “our systems” forms the phrase “Solar Systems”!!!
• a fun rhyme between “your orbit” and “gravitated towards it”
• and combining “spinning out of control” (especially given Mars is literally spinning, as all planets do) + “Mission Control” (the HQ back home that any spacefarers report to). 

…And that’s just in those 4 lines alone.
The lyrics have too many space-related references and subtle second meanings to list here, so the full lyrics (and analysis and exploration of those lyrics) can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CDaMBHUhmoduwrt0rV9CfumN7leKxytOaiDq3GF3XvQ/view
Personally, the lines “terror forming” (“terraforming”) and “you’ve got your own Life, / while I’ve got no Life at all” (a pun given that it’s from Mars to Earth) are my favorites that I ended up writing.

I also designed characters of the song’s protagonists, “Earth” and “Mars”, made a drawing of them on paper, and digitized the drawing in Adobe Photoshop + Adobe Animate.
Side note: I put a lot into those humanized character designs of Earth and Mars! Tried to give them each their own personality in their design as well. I tried to make Earth look like an average of all of humanity, so their design is generally ambiguous on purpose. Mars has a signature “alien” antenna headband (he claims he “wears it ironically”, but he really just likes the style), also subtly references Mars’s fascination with Earth having “Life”. (Also, both designs incorporate the two planets’ alchemical symbols — Mars’s is on his shirt, while Earth has theirs on their shirt but incorporating a lowercase “e”.) …Honestly, I’m genuinely pretty proud of these character designs! Like, I’m genuinely considering making character designs for the rest of the planets (…and the sun, and the moon, and the dwarf planets, and the asteroids, and th— oh no I’m going to end up inadvertently making a whole animated series accidentally, aren’t I).

All-in-all, this piece became a passion project for me! Thankfully not all at once, the piece’s Waveform file ended up having 82 tracks (well, in the file there are 117 tracks, but 35 of them aren’t in use and only contain previous recordings I didn’t use), and overall clocks in at about 6 minutes and 29 seconds long. …Yeah. …While as a perfectionist it always feels like there’s more to improve, I gave it my all and I’m actually genuinely proud of this piece (and, as a punthusiast, proud of some of the lyrics as well). Here it is; hope you enjoy it!

 

Creation Log:

Overview:

• Initially, to paint a visual and aural picture, I started with listening to countless samples as the foundation to my computer music piece
• After hearing numerous samples, I was immediately inspired to create a celestial sound
• This evolved both lyrically and musically into a personified relationship between Earth and Mars
• Through this process of teaching and discovery, I had to do a “trial and error” process of mixing different samples and realized that it was crucial to have samples (with similar tempos) that “vibe” well with each other.
• In the process of creating, listening, and, repeating, I ended up discarding samples that I loved and was initially committed to using. This was one of the hardest, but best lessons learned—to be a successful creator, it’s necessary to be flexible and allow the music to evolve.
• Some of my creative senses better tuned after this project was incorporating both hearing and listening–hearing the sounds and listening with critical thinking to create.
• So, my successful pattern turned out to be: create, listen, keep, listen, let go, listen, shift, and repeat.

 

A Mostly-complete Log of my entire process:

Session 1:

• One of the samples I wanted to use was in 90 BPM. The other two or three were 85 BPM, so I used 85 as the piece’s BPM instead of 90.
• one of the main samples (JazzyVamp) was in G minor, and one of the two main samples (FunkyVamp) was in C minor. I ended up going with G minor for the piece.
• However, I found that the FunkyVamp sample actually sounded quite good when played in G minor and then briefly modulated to its original C minor!
• using the Waveform sample “Ghostly Beat” as main percussion and using Waveform sample “Analog Clap Beat 2” as additional percussion
  • I want the main percussion to feel light, so I threw a HIGHpass filter of around 1500 Hz on the main percussion sample “Ghostly Beat” (so only the light & loose hi-hats are heard, and the hard kick drum and trap-beat–esque claps are muted)
  • I chose to use “Analog Clap Beat 2” in parts of the verses because of its slightly-swung feel. However, I wanted to create a sound resembling light brush percussion for those parts, so I threw a LOWpass filter of around 1500 Hz on “Analog Clap Beat 2” (so the higher pitches are muffled so you’re only left with the brush-sounding lower pitches of the hi-hats)
• using the Waveform sample “Afloat Pad” (a spacey evolving synth) as ambience. It still has pitches to it, so used Waveform to auto-pitch it down –5 semitones to match the piece’s G minor.
  • It seems like it ends / cuts off pretty abruptly, though. (I’ll fix it!)

Session 2:

• CONCEPT IDEA: slightly swing-y love song with overarching space metaphor
• decided not to play “Afloat Pad” during the verses (it’s a stagnant ambient chord that felt odd on top of the verses’ current chord progression), but instead to just use it during an intro and outro (and possible bridge)
• duplicated the “JazzyVamp” section to form the first half of a Verse 2

Session 3:

• CONCEPT IDEA: what if it’s a love song from Mars to Earth, but like, also functions as a regular song
• duplicated the “FunkyVamp” section to form the second half of a Verse 2
• idea! What if I used the “JazzyVamp” sample on top of the second iteration of the FunkyVamp section, but re-pitched to fit the sequence (once in G minor, once briefly modulated to C minor)?
  • It sounds odd if the “JazzyVamp” notes hit on the downbeat.
  • What if they hit on the offbeat (the “and” of “1-and 2-and 3-and 4-and…”)? Did it!

Session 4:

• a big update!:
• Added a syncopated 4:3 rhythm of a plucked instrument in a descending pattern (F-D-C-Bb, then later G-F-C-Bb) to add on the “FunkyVamp” half of the verses. It sounds somewhat like a mandolin, but it’s actually a sample of me playing my violin pizzicato, holding it and plucking the strings like a ukelele! (While I love using MIDI, I avoided using MIDI entirely for this project!)
  • Realized it sounded good if I harmonized the second half of the recording with a displaced duplicated version of the first half of the recording. Calling this sample I recorded “Viomandolin”.
• Added some echoing spacey background vocals (with a syncopated 4:3 rhythm) which kinda sound like they’re rotating or revolving around a few notes. One vocal—the “ah-ah-ah-ah”-sounding one—hovers around a pattern of E-F-E-F (and then Eb-F), and the other—the “ya-da-da-da”-sounding one—has a pattern of A-Bb-A-G.

Session 5:

• idea for an outro! Two samples that work well together (when pitched to be in the same key): “Bpm090_Bm7_Lucky_Chords_FX_4” (a mellow backing guitar part) and “Bpm090_Cm7_Gentle_Chords_FX_6” (a mellow melody on guitar). While they don’t have exactly the same chord progression, putting them together makes an interesting sound.
  • “Gentle_Chords” could loop one more time than “Lucky_Chords”, and bring back in the ambient “Afloat Pad” and self-recorded “Viomandolin” sample.
• working on writing lyrics
• figured out some words to go on top of the ambient “Afloat Pad” intro: “(Can you hear me?) (Are you out there?) (Can you hear me?)”
• That trumpet sound? That’s actually my voice (doing my best trumpet impression), with reverb and a low-pass filter.

Session 6:

• added a quiet echoey harmony to the first “(Can you hear me?) (Are you out there?) (Can you hear me?)”. Added automation to make the two pan around the soundspace.
  • It starts off with the ethereal sounds of two questions that us humans on Earth often ask and broadcast into outer space, hoping for some response from some other form of life (a response that has not yet come).
  • It’s left ambiguous whether the words “Can you hear me?” and “Are you out there?” are spoken by song’s main singer (“Mars”) or the song’s subject (“Earth”). In fact, it very well may be both asking themselves this about the other person (unbeknownst to each other), as a faint higher harmony part can be heard as the words pan around the ether.

Session 7:

• lyrics idea: “I know you’ve got your own Life / while I’ve got no Life at all”
  • I’m honestly proud of that: While the singer is saying they don’t have “a life”, while the one they’re serenading has “a life” of their own, it’s a pun — there’s no Life on Mars (that we know of), while Earth is the only planet we know of with Life.
  • recorded those lines, and gave the words “own life” a powerful wide range of harmonies backing them up, while the words “no life at all” have a dense, dissonant, barren landscape of harmonies behind them as the instrumental completely cuts out (reflecting the words themselves).

Session 8:

• recorded lyric: “Houston, we have a problem”
  • brief harmonic dissonance on the word “problem” (because, well, it’s signifying a “problem”)
• made the instrumental completely cut out during the line “no life at all”, leaving a dense, dissonant, barren landscape of harmonies completely isolated for a second.
• used Waveform’s “chords” feature to track the song’s chord progression.

Session 9:

• figuring out how more of the music will go
• recording lyrics, listening over, adjusting mixing
• working on fixing the peaking from the numerous harmonies on the line “own life”
• added a bridge that connects back to the intro and outro, using the “Are you out there / Can you hear me” motif but in a different way. It’s that “Rule of Three”: it often works well doing something three times but making the third time slightly different—then you’ve often got a cool thing on your hands!

Session 10:

• recording lyrics, listening over, adjusting mixing
• Oh my gosh, I just realized that the ambient “Afloat Pad” sample isn’t supposed to (or, didn’t originally) end / cut out so abruptly. It’s a result of Waveform trying to use Auto-Tempo to adjust this tempo-less sample to the project’s 85 BPM. It retimes the sample to be slower, but cuts itself off at its original length. Fixed!

Session 11:

• As my Bass sample, I used “gminor-funk-bassgroove-94bpm”, a bass sample by GRD-music- on freesound.org: https://freesound.org/people/GRD-music-/sounds/412842/
  • slowed down by a factor of 85/94 to get it to be 85 BPM
• added “ohhh” harmony branching off from “next dooo[ohhh]r” and continuing sustained afterwards all the way into “[ohhh]wn life”

Session 12:

• added a vocal bass on the line “in your orbit, and I’m gravitating towards it” with a descending pattern that sounds like it’s gravitating towards one note
• re-recording some “meh” deliveries of some lines

Session 13:

• wrapping up!
• I want to keep the echo delay of the last sound in the export, but it seems like the export will cut itself off when the original sound ends. To prevent this, I’ve added a blank “silence” sound so that I can easily decide when the export ends / cuts off. I used the sample “Silence- stereo and high quality” by kwahmah_02 on freesound.org: https://freesound.org/people/kwahmah_02/sounds/320807/

Apple iPhone XS – Smartphone Specs

The Apple iPhone XS smartphone released in 2018 has multiple, omnidirectional microphones for stereo to create a more reliable frequency response. The iPhone XS has stereo sound recording options. In assessing this iPhone’s features, DXOMARK describes the location of the various built-in microphones (and speakers) as situated:

• at the bottom edge of iPhone (primary microphone) with the perforations facing downwards when the iPhone is held in portrait mode,
• on the front screen’s top notch (front microphone) of the display facing outwards, and the 
• near the back camera (rear microphone) with the perforations facing downward when in portrait position.

While the phone doesn’t necessarily say which microphone is being used, functionality determines which microphone is being used when recording.

Key audio specifications (Audio Playback):

• “Stereo speakers and recording”
• “Active noise cancellation with dedicated microphone”
• “Audio formats supported: AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3), Dolby Atmos, and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+)”
• “Wider stereo playback”
• “User‑configurable maximum volume limit”

Sample Rate and Bit Depth

In learning more about digital audio, it helps to understand that sample rate is the measure of capture and playback and the bit depth (“word length”) equals each sample’s number of bits. So, if 24 bits (three bytes) means that there are 24 binary digits per word, a higher bit depth results in a more refined measurement. Ultimately, more data allows for better recreation of sound. Conversely, all of the data cannot be gathered and reproduced and the information degraded if the bit depth is too low. According to PreSonus.com, “for perspective, each sample recorded at 16-bit resolution can contain any one of 65,536 unique values (2^16). With 24-bit resolution, you get 16,777,216 unique values (2^24)—a huge difference!” in accurately recreating sound.

 

Approaching and Approving Apps

Before you can record anything, you need to decide what app to record in.

(1.) The first app I tried out was Apple’s “Voice Memos” recording app, a default iOS app installed on all iPhones automatically. I’ve used this app a lot in the past—mostly since it came with the phone. In general, the iOS Voice Memos app is quick and easy to record sound in; however, for the purposes of this experiment, the Voice Memos app isn’t the greatest. It doesn’t display the qualities of its microphones used to record, nor does it display most of the properties of any given recording.

(2.) I then went on to check out (2.) TwistedWave’s “TW Recorder”, an app that classmate Michael Lee recommended. I downloaded a free version of the iOS TwistedWave Recorder app, and it worked great! It allows the user to see a lot of the properties of a recording, adjust your recording settings and preferences, save in multiple different formats, and set a new recording’s properties: like its sample rate (either 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 44, 48, 64, 88, or 96 kHz) or whether it will be recorded in Mono or Stereo.

(Apple.com – TwistedWave Recorder)

While Apple does not officially publish their phones’ maximum sample rate and bit depth, I used the TwistedWave app to assess the quality of input/output sound for this experiment. I used the app’s settings to determine while sampling rates were unsupported (and, thus, figure out the maximum). 96 kHz, 88 kHz, and 64 kHz were unsupported on the app, so I used this to find out that 48 kHz is the maximum sample rate of the iPhone XS (lining up with what external websites tended to say, as well).

However, the correct maximum bit rate was a bit harder to find. From external websites, it was unclear whether it was 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit. While the TwistedWave app says that it’s able to store recordings in 32-bit, I decided to stick with recording with 16-bit, which I knew the phone could record.

According to the MacWorld review, a significant sound quality feature of the Apple iPhone XS includes “record[ing] sound in stereo, and audio played from the XS [has] better clarity and volume”. 

 

Generation of Sine Sweep and White Noise

I used Audacity to generate two audio clips: a 15-second sine sweep rising from 100 to 18,000 Hz, and a 15-second clip of white noise.

I then used my phone to record these sounds. All of the sounds were recorded in my bedroom (in consideration to my suitemates studying in the suite’s common room), but with my phone placed in different locations in relation to the computer and its speakers.

I used Audacity’s “Plot Spectrum” functionality on the original sounds and my phone’s different recordings (as in the table shown below). The spectrum plots show Hz frequencies on the horizontal axis and dB of that frequency on the vertical axis.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPHS (Sine Sweep):

Place for Recording	Phone Placement	Type of Test	Plotted Graph	Results of Test
Audacity	original sound from Audacity	Sine Sweep		Flat
bedroom	1 inch above left speaker	Sine Sweep		Shaped
bedroom	1 inch above right speaker	Sine Sweep		Shaped
bedroom	held 1 inch above speakers; centered between them (5 inches on either side)	Sine Sweep		Shaped
bedroom	12 inches away from speakers	Sine Sweep		Shaped
bedroom	4 feet away from speakers	Sine Sweep		Shaped

 

FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPHS (White Noise):

Place for Recording	Phone Placement	Type of Test	Plotted Graph	Results of Test
Audacity	original sound from Audacity	White Noise		Flat(!)
bedroom	1 inch above right speaker	White Noise		Shaped
bedroom	1 inch above right speaker	White Noise		Shaped
bedroom	held 1 inch above speakers; centered between them (5 inches on either side)	White Noise		Shaped
bedroom	12 inches away from speakers	White Noise		Shaped
bedroom	4 feet away from speakers	White Noise		Shaped

Recording Using iPhone XS Microphone: Analysis and Understanding

Using the plot of the original Audacity sounds as the “ideal” benchmark for audio capability, the white noise and sine sweep graphs reflected a change in audio quality from the Audacity baseline model. Amongst the sine sweep graphs and white noise graphs, generally-similar shaped patterns emerged when the sound source remained one inch above either speaker (either left or right). However, once the phone was moved more than a few inches away from the speakers, the graphs reflected less spectral flatness.

Again, with the Audacity plot as the desired baseline graph for spectral flatness, the sine sweep and white noise graphs indicated a degraded shift in audio quality based on the graphs’ increased area and filled-in peaks and valleys. Unlike the plots of the phone’s recordings—both when the microphone was close and far away from the output source—the Audacity plot maintained consistent peak heights throughout the graph translating to a more consistent frequency response. In the recording graphs, the number of decibels fluctuated.

In a majority of the recordings, the frequencies above 2000 Hz tend to have slightly higher dB than the frequencies below 1000 Hz. A majority of the recordings have dips in dB at some point in the range between ~1000 Hz and ~1500 Hz. For example, both of the two recordings taken about 12 inches away from the speakers dip in the range between 1000 Hz and 1300 Hz.

Both of the two recordings taken about 4 feet away from the speakers dip fairly significantly between 9200 Hz and 11,200 Hz.
In the recordings centered between the two speakers (5 inches away from either speaker, and held 1 inch above them), the dB seems to slightly dip starting at 300 Hz, increase again starting at 400 Hz, and peak at 500 Hz.
The spectrum plot of the original white noise audio at first looks quite erratic, uneven, and shaped, but the graph is actually zoomed in to a small range of dB, between -28.2 and -29.5. If it was shown at the same scale as the others, it would appear quite flat and consistent.

The original sine sweep audio only went from 100 Hz to 18,000 Hz, so it makes sense that the five recordings of it also cut out at around 18,000 Hz.
However, the original white noise audio went up to 23,500 Hz, so we can use this to see where the iPhone XS’s limits are with recording high frequencies above 18,000 Hz.

• Apple designed and built the iPhone XS with omnidirectional microphones to create a reliable response frequency, which it does. To achieve an excellent frequency response, Signal Essence indicates that “a flat frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz” is ideal and “an iPhone [is] pretty flat from 100Hz to 10kHz [which is] good enough” and meets the design goal of a reliable response frequency.
  
• All of the recordings begin to drop out in volume around 20,000 Hz (as expected), and seem to drop out completely shortly afterward, at slightly different Hz frequencies. (For the purposes of this analysis, I’m counting the point of “fully dropping out” as falling below –100 Hz.)
• In the recording centered between the two speakers (5 inches away from either speaker, and held 1 inch above them), it appears to have fully dropped out at around 20,150 Hz.
• In the recording 12 inches away from the speakers and the recording 4 feet away, it appears to have fully dropped out at around 20,200 Hz.
• In the two recordings 1 inch directly above either speaker (left or right), it appears to have fully dropped out at around 20,350 Hz.

Consequently, in assessing the spectral flatness of the iPhone XS’s recordings, I found that this device’s microphone does have a generally reliable frequency response— able to pick up a range of frequencies as intended, designed, and built. However, as expected, both the environment and relative distance from the sound source both impacted the spectra. As reflected in the graphs and observations,  the closer the sound output source to the microphone, the more spectral flatness (generally translating to better quality and clarity); conversely, further distance from the sound source created more variation and inconsistency. Overall, my assessment of the iPhone XS’s microphone’s audio capability performed with a generally reliable frequency response.

Since Apple doesn’t tend to publish some details of its devices’ specifications, research is required to unearth the phone’s capabilities — but, once tested, it lives up to expectations.

Or, essentially, assessing “excessively extensive testing” successfully expresses XS’s expected impressive technical specs. Success!

 

Recordings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13sPvDvk7MFhi3CBAwfRmDudeCzBlgruy/view

Sources

Apple.com – Discussion thread – Where are the microphones on an iPhone XS/Max?
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8555709

Apple.com – iPhone XS – Technical Specifications
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP779?locale=en_US

Apple.com – TwistedWave Recorder
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/twistedwave-recorder/id690359266

The CellGuide.com – How to fix Apple iPhone XS microphone that is not working
https://thecellguide.com/how-to-fix-apple-iphone-xs-microphone-that-is-not-working-5892

DXOMark.com – Apple iPhone XS Max Audio review
https://www.dxomark.com/apple-iphone-xs-max-audio-review/

gmsarena.com – Apple iPhone XS pictures
https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_xs-pictures-9318.php

iKream.com – How to fix Apple iPhone XS microphone problems, microphone not working [Troubleshooting Guide]
https://www.ikream.com/iphone-xs-microphone-problems-microphone-not-working-30022

MacWorld.com – iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max review: It’s time for older iPhone owners to jump on the X bandwagon
https://www.macworld.com/article/3309412/iphone-xs-and-iphone-xs-max-review.html

PreSonus.com – Digital Audio Basics: Sample Rate and Bit Depth
https://www.presonus.com/learn/technical-articles/sample-rate-and-bit-depth

PhoneArena.com – Apple iPhone XS Description
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Apple-iPhone-XS_id10766

SignalEssence.com – Can you use an iPhones’ internal microphone for acoustic testing and accurate recordings
https://signalessence.com/can-you-use-an-iphones-internal-microphone-for-acoustic-testing-and-accurate-recordings/

StackExchange.com – What is the maximum sample rate/bit depth of the iPhone for recording?
https://sound.stackexchange.com/questions/15226/what-is-the-maximum-sample-rate-bit-depth-of-the-iphone-for-recording

Wintergatan:
Technical Builds, Technological Skills, and a 2000-marble machine
by Mark D. Williams

While discussion of the history of computer music is often decidedly America-centric, technology and music have been utilized and combined in numerous influential, innovative, and instrumental ways throughout history around the world. One such non-American example I believe to be deserving of a place in the pantheon of computer music is the Swedish group Wintergatan. An instrumental “folktronica” group formed in 2012 in Gothenburg, Sweden, they describe the project as a “mix of Music, Engineering and Innovation”. They utilize and repurpose unconventional instruments and technology to create original sounds, and often cross into different genres but still continue to keep their own unmistakable sound, sans vocals. Whether it’s through live instruments, technology, or somewhere in between, Wintergatan’s impact in this new modern era of computer music on the combination of music and technology worldwide is undeniable (and incredibly significant).

While many of their pieces involve live instruments (often unconventional ones), it’s often their use of odd technology (or how they twist the usage of existing technology) that makes for an unexpectedly-unique combination that defines their music profile. They often use odd or obscure live instruments (theremins, dulcimers, saws, electric autoharps), repurpose forgotten technology as modern instruments (including typewriters and slide projectors), or invent new electronic instruments themselves (like the “Modulin”, a DIY modular synthesizer played like a violin). In the track “Valentine”, for instance, they combine chiptune-like synths of the ‘90s, modern electronic risers of the 2010s, and a melody on their distinctive signature vibraphone. (Additionally, the song’s staccato percussion is actually played on both a drumset and a typewriter, as can be seen in a live Steadicam one-take performance.)

 

However, Wintergatan are perhaps most known for their innovative instrument and complex contraption called the “Marble Machine”. The machine is an astounding feat of engineering and programming, an innovative piece of technology that took 14 to 16 months to make (from 2014 to 2016, built by band member Martin Molin). The Marble Machine contains over 2,000 marbles in a 3,000-part Rube Goldberg-esque network—that, when powered up, is able to play music. The group published an official music video in March 2016, with an original song aptly titled “Marble Machine”:

 

Hand-cranked and semi-automated, this organ-sized birchwood behemoth was humorously described by MusicRadar.com as looking like “a cross between a xylophone, an antique printing press and a spinning machine” (couldn’t have said it better myself!). However, it utilizes both live instruments—a vibraphone, bass guitar, and cymbal—and electronic ones—with digital contact microphones hooked up to replicate the sounds of a kick drum, high-hat, and snare.
The thousands of marbles are dropped onto the instruments by what Molin calls the “programming wheel”, an automated conveyor belt contraption with an inner system of wooden gears, and a music-box-like outer ring built out of Lego Technic pieces.
It’s partially hand-powered—with a hand-crank, user-controlled bass strings, and a manual brake punderfully labeled “BRAKEdown”)—and partially automated—with the contact microphones hooked up to a digital sound system, and the complex conveyor belt automating the precise process of dropping thousands upon thousands of marbles. 

Even though the music is performed live, it’s still undoubtedly an invention of computer music in its own right, through the computing used to create it—its programming and engineering, months meticulously computing the right gear ratio (etc.) to make this technological wonder play.
More recently, in 2017 (and functioning as of 2019), they began work on a more-mammoth Martin-Molin-made metallic musical marvel: the Marble Machine X (even more advanced, complex, and steampunk-looking!).
Overall, Wintergatan’s Marble Machine blurs the line between live instrument and technology, person-powered and pre-programmed, contraption and computer.

 

While it was built through computing, programming, and engineering, one could argue that the Marble Machine could be considered a rudimentary computer itself. While it has no hard drive, screen, or monitor, it seems to be an absurd notion at first, but is in actuality a sound argument. The definition of a “computer” is simply a programmable machine or device, an automated complex system able to run a set program and store, retrieve, and process data. What is the Marble Machine if not a form of that? (What is a calculator if not an advanced abacus?…)
The dropping of thousands of marbles in the Marble Machine—essentially, each part automatically detecting one of two binary options (“marble on” or “marble off”)—is, in a way, similar to the detecting of millions of “on” and “off”, 1’s and 0’s, of the physical systems that run every modern-day computer (including the ones used to program the Machine itself!).
This train of thought challenges our perceptions of technological labels: similarly, one might call an abacus a form of calculator, a pinball machine a form of gaming console, or a typewriter a form of word processor (or, to Wintergatan, a percussive instrument).

 

Wintergatan uses technology not only in their music, performance, instrumentation, and engineering of new instruments— but also to reach a generation of new musicians. Their Marble Machine music video has over 152 million views on YouTube, and millions more on other sites. They’ve since inspired a whole new generation of crafty musiciengineers (side note: genuinely proud of that—I can’t believe no one’s come up with or copyrighted it!) around the globe, through their use of technology, including a recent fan-created miniature Marble Machine in 2020 which creator Love Hultén lovingly dubbed the “Marble Machine XS”.

Before it was eventually returned to them, their Marble Machine was held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in the Museum Speelklok — a musical museum specializing in self-playing instruments, including a 100-year-old “self-playing violin”. After showcasing this specific “Orchestrion” from 1907 (the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina) in a video that’s since garnered millions of views, Wintergatan introduced to a wider audience (and rejuvenated interest in) this obscure 100-year-old instrumental contraption. They used modern technology to bring a piece of centuries-old technology into the public eye in the modern age.

 

Wintergatan’s use of technology in music — be it in combination with live instruments, …in computing the creation of new instrumental technology, …or in sharing their creations globally and inspiring new technological musicians — is innovative and undeniable.

…It’s truly marbleous.

 

SOURCES:

Rhodes, Margaret.  (March 10, 2016).  Insanely Complex Machine Makes Music With 2,000 Marbles. 
In Wired.  Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2016/03/insanely-complex-machine-makes-music-2000-marbles/

Rogerson, Ben.  (March 3, 2016).  This marble-powered music-making machine is insane but amazing.
In MusicRadar. Retrieved from http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/this-marble-powered-music-making-machine-is-insane-but-amazing-635336

Rundle, Michael.  (March 8, 2016).  This incredible music machine is powered by 2,000 marbles. 
In Wired, Wired UK.  Retrieved from Web Archive:  http://web.archive.org/web/20160602011021if_/http://www.wired.co.uk/article/marble-machine-video
Rundle, Michael & Woollaston, Victoria.  (March 16, 2017).  16 months to build, two hours to demolish: watch the Marble Machine being taken apart.  In Wired, Wired UK.  Retrieved from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/marble-machine-video

Coetzee, Gerrit.  (March 3, 2016).  Incredible Marble Music Machine.  In Hackaday.  Retrieved from https://hackaday.com/2016/03/03/incredible-marble-music-machine/

Lillywhite, James.  (March 3, 2016).  Wintergatan Marble Machine: Amazing video shows music box powered by 2,000 marbles.  In IBTimes. Retrieved from https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/wintergatan-marble-machine-amazing-video-shows-music-box-powered-by-2000-marbles-1547374

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Computer. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/computer

Bennett, James II.  (August 20, 2017).  This Self-Playing Violin Is a Musical Marvel.  In WXQR, WQXR Editorial. Retrieved from https://www.wqxr.org/story/self-playing-violin-musical-marvel/

Waters, Michael.  (June 14, 2017).  The Self-Playing Violins That Mastered Chopin.  In Atlas Obscura.  Retrieved from https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/phonoliszt-violin-self-playing-instruments-player-piano-ludwig-hupfeld

Arblaster, Scott.  (August 5, 2019).  Wintergatan return with the Marble Machine X, quite possibly the most beautiful groovebox ever.  In MusicRadar.  Retrieved from https://www.musicradar.com/news/wintergatan-return-with-the-marble-machine-x-quite-possibly-the-most-beautiful-groovebox-ever

Neira, Juliana.  (August 17, 2020).  Love Hultén’s Marble Machine XS makes music as mini marbles drop.  In Designboom. Retrieved from https://www.designboom.com/design/love-hulten-marble-machine-xs-08-17-2020/

 

Videos by Wintergatan:

Wintergatan – Marble Machine (music instrument using 2000 marbles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q

How It Works – Part 1 (Wintergatan Marble Machine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uog48viZUbM
How It Works – Part 2 (Wintergatan Marble Machine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Guq7vZb_E

“Valentine” Live Steadicam One-take performance: https://youtu.be/FHjdI7l3WDc?t=321

Modulin (How does THE MODULIN work? – DIY Music Instrument): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUdWeBYe3GY

100 Year Old Self-Playing Violin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs0mP2cOmJs