Greg Wilder

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  • Plume

    Plume

    Plume (for piano and computer) is one of a series of artistic collaborations with custom software called Isomer.

    Work on Plume began with the selection of six chainsaw sound recordings. Often source sounds are chosen for their personal relationship or meaning to the composer, but these recordings were picked solely for their rich harmonic content (vibrant rhythmic activity!) and strong harmonic fundamentals (good for harmony!).

    Why six different chainsaw recordings? So that they share sonic (and therefore musical) characteristics when processed by the Isomer software. The hope is that they feel closely related (but not too similar) so that when combined, they form a single, unified musical expression.

    November 2018 | Piano and Fixed Media

    Process

    One of the most challenging aspects of making music with spectral deconstruction methods is the development of coherent musical form. In a previous work called After October, I solved this problem by choosing source material with a relatively long duration and manually slowing the pacing of musical events. The use of a single source facilitated musical cohesion.

    With Plume, I wanted to develop musical form using sonically-related sources with a short duration that required the use of repeated material. To do this, I used relatively few output layers in the initial presentation of ideas and saved unused layers for the later repetition of material.

    I achieved additional variation through orchestration and spatialization. Because the chainsaws start and stop at distinct points in the source recordings, the entrances of musical layers appear close together. Orchestrating with sounds that feature sharp transients and fast decay times provided ample opportunity to vary the resonance and reverberation techniques applied to repeated gestures.

    Production

    For reasons described above, Plume was orchestrated with sounds that are struck, plucked, and strummed. The big question during production was — how to effectively alter resonance without always giving away the process?

    The answer required the development of synth and reverb patches and some fairly extreme EQ. Specifically, I relied on high-quality emulations of the Roland Jupiter-8 and an Oberheim SEM to shadow some of the foreground material. To create especially “darker” spaces I scooped out higher frequencies from the sources before sending the result through a few choice Lexicon spaces.

    Given the high-energy nature of these attack transients, mastering compression required several ritual dances and a highly versatile tool — the Rupert Neve Master Buss Processor. Among other things, this incredible unit provided the necessary sculpting of the mid/side frequencies.

    An early version of this work was created on March 27th, 2017 and was rendered for fixed media (without piano).

    March 2017 | Fixed Media, Stereo

     

  • A White Thanksgiving

    The snow came early this year and it’s sticking around (9″ at last count). But in New Hampshire fresh snow with temps in the single digits is just another excuse for outdoor fun with the dogs.

    Dogs in the snow

    And of course, we had a wonderful time with friends at a very New England-y thanksgiving gathering…

    Thanksgiving with friends

  • Allan Schindler Memorial

    Allan Schindler Memorial

    Allan Schindler, my friend, mentor, and colleague, passed away suddenly on October 8th, 2018.

    The folks at Eastman reached out to colleagues and alumni, and set up a memorial concert for Allan on November 7th in Rochester, NY. Allan’s music was the centerpiece, and many of us were asked to contribute pieces. As you can see from the concert program, the response was overwhleming.

    Before the concert there was a private service for close friends and family. It was beautiful. Truly beautiful. The love everyone shared for Allan was on full display.

    Raising a glass to Allan

    After the concert, we all raised a glass to Allan. Many of us hadn’t seen each other in 16+ years and it was important (maybe even necessary) to get together to share stories and remembrances.

    A Few Personal Reflections

    When I arrived at Eastman in 1996, I had already written a considerable amount of music for electronic media but I felt constantly thwarted. My frustration with computer-generated sound was that it simply didn’t have the expressive potential of acoustic instruments. I struggled and struggled trying to get those damn computers to sing — even if only for a brief moment.

    And then I worked with Allan. And I got to know his music. It was music from silicon chips that defied gravity. It danced and floated. And it sang.

    Like his personality, Allan’s music expressed or embodied the essential values of the greatest art: lightness, quickness, exactitude, visibility, and multiplicity.

    And to me, it sounded completely effortless. But in working with him (and around him) I learned the truth; getting computers to make musically expressive sounds is a Herculean challenge.

    Allan fought hard to make his sounds “come alive” (as he was fond of saying). He would spend weeks getting a few seconds of music to work out. And we (his students) were lucky enough to hear him wrestle those sounds into submission through his office door. Day in and day out.

    As it turns out, listening to Allan work was one of the greatest lessons he provided to his students. (Little did I know that nearly all of us felt this way…) But when I arrived at Eastman in 1996, I had just about given up. I was nearly convinced there was no way to coax music worth hearing from a computer.

    That is, until I learned from Allan’s example.

    Allan Schindler

    He loved his life. He loved his work. And he was loved by many.

  • After October

    After October

    After October is dedicated to my friend and mentor, Allan Schindler. It is part of a series of artistic collaborations with custom software called Isomer.

    When I arrived at Eastman in 1996, I had just about given up. I was convinced there was no way to coax music worth hearing from a computer. That is, until I learned from Allan Schindler’s example.

    Allan passed away suddenly in October 2018. This work is a small tribute to his inspiration and ever-lasting influence in my life.

    October 2018 | Fixed Media, Stereo

    Sources

    The material for this work comes from a single extended recording of a quiet (early-morning) street intersection in New York City.

    Very few vehicles pass close by, but the distant sound of car horns, people walking, people speaking, and even high-pitched break squeals combine with the din of the city to produce a naturally breathing sonic tapestry that’s rich in harmonic content.

    Sounds of life echo in the distance and the listener is forced to experience them alone — as an outsider.

    Process

    At its core, After October is a simple duet between an oboe and bass clarinet. The peaceful counterpoint is gently coaxed from slow-moving monophonic partial layers found in the source recording.

    Soft synthesized leads shadow and support each solo instrument while a wonderful emulation of an Oberheim SEM (processed by the amazing Trax Phase Vocoder from IRCAM) keeps the track honest by providing moments of unpredictable motion.

    Ultimately, the rendered performance is meant to evoke the feeling of an acoustic ensemble.

    Production

    It was important to create a sonic atmosphere where acoustic and electronic sounds coexist without competition. Where does the bass clarinet end and the electronic lead begin?

    My greatest challenge in production was to define a clear sense of space and separation between naturally thick and heavy sounds. To do this, each sound was isolated and carefully sculpted to avoid encroaching on the others. The result is a single, unified expression that subtly morphs between varying identities.

    Light spatialization was added to create the impression of a liquid-filled, slow-motion environment — as if the listener’s inner world has slowed down while the rest of the world passes by at its normal pace.

     

    An early version of this work was created on March 23rd, 2017. It was originally rendered as a duet between an alto flute and bass clarinet.

    March 2017 | Fixed Media, Stereo

  • It’s Gettin’ Halloween-y

    Mario Bava is definitely the inspiration for our interior Halloween decor this year. Oh, who am I kidding, we go for the Bava look anytime we can…

    Crystal Skull

    The bats are pretty cool, but it’s the powerful LED spotlight that really transforms the dining area.

    Bats up close and personal

    And of course, Terror Fest continues. (Don’t look out the window if you scare easily!)

    Ghost girl at the window

    In other news, we saw our first light dusting of snow last week…

    First dusting of snow

    Time to break out the skis! #BecomingNewHampshire

  • Fall Arrives in NH

    Temps are dipping into the 30s at night and the crisp smell of leaves is everywhere. Fall has once again arrived in New Hampshire. If there ever was a time of year to visit the White Mountains, this is it. The colors simply defy description.

    Just a few camping days remaining...

    And even though Ruby Jean looks ready to go explore, there are very few camping days remaining. Of course, there’s always winter camping…