Detuning via "Vaporwave Effect" from CD-ROMantic (app)
Stereophonic editing via Lexis Audio Editor (app) GIF applied via CD-ROMantic
Improvised music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) played on my piano Detuning via "Vaporwave Effect" from CD-ROMantic (app) Stereophonic editing via Lexis Audio Editor (app) GIF applied via CD-ROMantic Those curious as to how I have been able to produce the audio effects created on this track and the Vaporwave Sound Strudies albums should stay tuned for updates, I plan on reviewing and discussing the CD-ROMantic smartphone application in more detail sometime this week.
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Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) Album cover by the composer, Photo of Downtown Savannah, GA- Edited using Glitcho (app) Coming soon to Patreon Tracks: 1) Vaporwave Sound Study 16 0:00-3:32 2) Vaporwave Sound Study 17 3:33-8:22 3) Vaporwave Sound Study 18 8:23-43:45 4) Vaporwave Sound Study 19 43:44-51:34 5) Vaporwave Sound Study 20 51:35-1:00:33 Music created using the following effects and applications: Lexis Audio Editor Reaktor 6 Player (Native Instruments) Kontakt 7 (Native Instruments) Synthesizer Audio Recorder CD-ROMantic (for "Vaporwave Effect") SLIDERS Generative Sequencer Video edited using YouCut:https://youcutapp.page.link/BestEditor A forgotten era in early film comes back to life in the twenty-first century. The Wurlitzer theater organ, often referred to as the “Mighty Wurlitzer” theater organ, represents a significant artifact of motion picture history from the early twentieth century. Theater organs often functioned as versatile and valuable keyboard instruments meant to complement the visual aspect of silent films in the 1920s. This specific type of organ could replicate acoustic orchestral instruments (like strings and woodwinds) and sound effects (like ringing telephones and birds). The organist could produce these aural effects on the instrument by applying different combinations of tabs, stops, and pedals. The theater organ also included features often not found in traditional church organs, such as a tremulation effect when depressing the tones. I had the opportunity to view a Wurlitzer theater organ in action: both in terms of its musical range and via a demonstration of its inclusion in silent film. The model of the instrument that I observed was initially installed at the Lucas Theater in 1925 and recently restored in April 2023. The organ features pipes hidden within the left and right sides of the stage walls to produce a stereophonic effect when the organist triggers sound on the console. It also features mounted percussion, like a glockenspiel or xylophone, to produce certain instrumental effects on the organ whenever necessary. This Wurlitzer theater organ is one of the more than two-thousand theater organs constructed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company from the 1910s to the 1940s. Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) Album cover by the composer, Photo of Downtown Savannah, GA- Edited using Glitcho (app) Available now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/85876461?pr=true Tracks: 1) Vaporwave Sound Study 11- 0:00-6:39 2) Vaporwave Sound Study 12- 6:40-13:32 3) Vaporwave Sound Study 13 13:33-20:07 4) Vaporwave Sound Study 14- 20:08-26:15 5) Vaporwave Sound Study 15- 26:16-28:18 Music created using the following effects and applications: Lexis Audio Editor Reaktor 6 Player (Native Instruments) Kontakt 7 (Native Instruments) Synthesizer Audio Recorder CD-ROMantic (for "Vaporwave Effect") SLIDERS Generative Sequencer Raw sound Music by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988) Album cover by the composer Photo of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada- Edited using Glitcho (app) Available now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/vaporwave-sound-85483796 Tracks: 1) Vaporwave Sound Study 7- 0:00-5:39 2) Vaporwave Sound Study 8- 5:40-11:40 3) Vaporwave Sound Study 9- 11:41-16:55 4) Vaporwave Sound Study 10- 16:56-26:00 Music created using the following effects and applications: Soniface Lite Lexis Audio Editor Audio Recorder CD-ROMantic (for "Vaporwave Effect") ARPIO Wisp Synth SLIDERS Generative Sequencer A clothing dryer I have devoted much time on this blog over the years to reviewing music applications and software programs in hopes that audiences will find my input beneficial. Some programs fare better than others. In more extreme case, I have witnessed moments where updates to applications and programs have proven less helpful that older versions. The 12 Tone Matrix application represents such an example, in that I previously reviewed it two other times to determine its practicability and see what had changed. Is 12 Tone Matrix worth using in 2023, and are there other music applications that provide tools and guidance for understanding twentieth-century music theory analytical techniques?
Skimming through Google Play reveals plenty of (Western) music theory and composition applications (apps) for smartphones. Many of them concentrate on the basic educational elements of tonality in classical music: understanding notes, chords, keys, harmonic progressions, and ear training. They are primarily designed as tools that supplement learning some of the components of music theory and composition for audiences both inside and outside of academic settings. However, Western music theory can be an acquired taste and often requires years of training, which grows more complicated when considering some of the classical music written after 1900. 12 Tone Matrix and Matrix Maker function as tools for writing serial music from the twentieth century. That aspect serves as both a strength and weakness. Developed by datapluscode and Dead Hand Media respectively, both apps offer a 12x12 grid where users can pick the pitch classes (musical notes) to create a row of twelve tones. The apps give users the options to create the main row (“Prime 0,” or “P0”) via the musical alphabet or pitch class numbers and abbreviations. The application automatically fills in the rest of the grid when all twelve tones are chosen to complete the “P0” row. The rows can be written forwards (“Prime”), backwards (“Retrograde”), through “Inversion,” and through “Retrograde-Inversion.” 12 Tone Matrix and Matrix Maker serve primarily as tools for music composition by automatically generating tone rows. They assume that people already understand the concepts behind analyzing twelve-tone music, which is not always true. The applications are not intended to provide theoretical contexts for how to create the tone rows and pitch class sets. They also do not offer historical context for how Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) devised the twelve-tone system, nor do they play back the tones for each row or feature musical examples from composers who use serial music techniques: perhaps, for copyright reasons. It would benefit both composers and Music Theory students to have an application that uses an interactive “pitch class clock” and provides background information about symmetry and set relations. Adding these components to future programs would prove useful. 12 Tone Matrix and Matrix Maker are currently available for free on Google Play. The following photographs derive from my recent travel abroad in Canada via Québec City, Québec. Although that specific region of the country applies French linguistics and customs, one must also consider the British English impact on Canada. In this specific instance, I took the opportunity to visit the fortification known as the Citadelle de Québec. This area focused primarily on the historical significance of the fort: from the British capture and occupation of Québec to the modern era and the role of the Canadian Military from World War I through the Korean War and beyond. The Citadelle also functions as an active base for the Royal 22nd Regiment. This group was established in the 1920s with the express purpose of protecting the British Monarchy, such as when they had been directed to guard Buckingham Palace in World War II. What does this information have to do with music? Music served to entertain, provide comfort to, and strengthen the morale for Canadians involved in military combat throughout the global conflicts. Whenever necessary the musicians would also drop their instruments and assist the wounded soldiers. The band of the Royal 22nd Regiments frequently presents music concerts spanning different genre with a diverse repertoire covering everything from classical to video game music. Music and visuals by Anthony L. Sanchez (b. 1988)
Music created and edited using Synthesizer (app), CD-ROMantic (app), and Lexis Audio Editor (app)-- "Vaporwave Effect" and "Echo" applied via CD-ROMantic and Lexis Audio Editor Photo taken in Hilton Head Island, SC on April 29, 2023--Edited on April 30, 2023 using Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and Glitcho (app) Audiovisual synchronization edited using YouCut (app): https://youcutapp.page.link/BestEditor Track available now on Patreon. Those who follow the work on this website know that I cover a plethora of topics concerning music history and culture. I would like to expand on that by briefly exploring something that has been near and dear to my heart since childhood: video games. Or, more specifically, video game music. I grew up in the 1990s at the crossroads of the 8-bit and 16-bit gaming generations and was fortunate enough to experience different arcades, consoles, and PCs from that era. Video game music has left an indelible impression on me through nostalgic memories, and I am not alone in expressing this sentiment. Such music is now being treated with respect as part of popular culture history. The Library of Congress recently archived the “Super Mario Bros. Theme” as part of the National Recording Registry. The ongoing financial success of new Super Mario Bros. Movie from Universal, Nintendo, and Illumination (despite negative criticism) features a score by Brian Tyler that incorporates musical collages of themes by Koji Kondo and David Wise[1] from various Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong games.
Perceptions about video game music have also shifted in the twenty-first century: from initially being publicly dismissed as “not music,” to achieving a place in academia via the branch of musicological research and performance called Ludomusicology. The literature and resources concerning Ludomusicology have been growing for the past twenty years or so and often combine multiple academic disciplines. As someone who researches African, Latin American, and Caribbean music and cultural customs, I must add that video game music frequently applies genres, rhythms, and instrument from these regions of the world both for inspiration and (depending on its use) maintaining some degree of cultural respect. Based on what I have compiled so far in my research via an open collaborative playlist, I have encountered many instances where video game soundtracks incorporate Hispanic, Latin American, and Caribbean[2] music. These instances often evoke geographical locations, like islands or deserts. They also serve to represent moods or characters: The variety of genres also becomes apparent: flamenco, salsa, bossa nova, cha-cha, mambo, and other Spanish and (Afro-)Latin American musical materials. Some video games also incorporate indigenous music, albeit more out of respect for Native American people. The PC game Inca from 1992 pays homage to indigenous Peruvian culture (in a futuristic way), through synthesized panpipes and guitars, as well as incorporating the Quechua language in the introduction to the game. [1] Surprisingly, Wise was not mentioned in the end credits to the film. [2] When I say “Caribbean,” I include all areas of the region via the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch regions. |
AuthorDMA. Composer of acoustic and electronic music. Pianist. Experimental film. Archives
April 2024
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