How low (or infrequent) can you go...?

Time to record this blasted patch so that I can use my studio again!! It was a fun one to construct, however, so I'll share a bit about it with you.

The E-mu drum machine pictured spits out 24 ppq (pulses-per-quarter note) for syncing with other devices that speak that language. I wanted to see whether I could make use of those pulses in other ways... 24 ppq is a real barrage, let me tell you -- that's 96th notes, for the rhythmically inclined among you.



So I ran the pulse output to a 3-stage sequential switch, and took just one of the three stages for my output. 24 neatly divides by 3 to yield a more useful 8 ppq (32nd notes) which I then ran to an 8-stage trigger sequencer, allowing for further subdivisions.



The trigger sequencer has four separate rows, with each row sporting a toggle switch per stage, or step. By specifically setting the switches for each row, I now had at my disposal four useful subdivisions: 32nd notes, 16th notes (which I used for one aspect of the melody), 8th notes, and quarter notes.



Using other sequencers in my arsenal, I was able to achieve further subdivisions, including half-notes, whole notes (which I used for another aspect of the melody), 1 pulse every four bars (which I used for my bassline), and even 1 pulse every eight bars.

Really geeky, and really fun to figure out!

Something about time...

It's unbelievable to me that I announced the release of 'The Mesmer Eye' a year ago today! New and (I hope!) interesting things will be taking place here at sublevel9 studios this year. Please stay tuned!

New square_wave album: The Mesmer Eye

At last, I’m proud to announce a new square_wave album, 'The Mesmer Eye'. Three years in the making, this album returns to the short-form presentation begun with 'Aerodrome'. This album also marks the first time outside participation has crept in. One track includes sonic elements that resulted from a bad rip of a CD by Phil Western (aka Philth) (Download, platEAU, Beehatch) who was kind enough to sign off on my experiment. And a true highlight for me is the artwork provided by Chris McBeth (Beta-lactam Ring Records) whose gorgeous works grace the covers of many BLRR releases.

While working on this album I found myself thinking about stasis, detachment, and decay – that is, a sense of collective isolation that has receded to the background and become a deep-seated fabric upon which we continue to pile Meaningless upon Meaningless. I was also taken with the story of Henry Cavendish, an 18th century experimental scientist who discovered several laws and principles before anyone else – yet he didn’t publish any of them. The most significant was his discovery of Ohm’s Law before Ohm. He conducted his experiments, made important discoveries and took notes, but remained detached from the scientific community. Perhaps because of my fixation on Cavendish, I frequently found myself juxtaposing mental images of the promise of 18th and 19th century science against a future lost in material gain and the perpetuated despoiling of our world. "I'm really not at liberty to discuss this..."

Available now at CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.

Mach Ångström (excerpt)...

For those who require more than a 30 second preview of a 30+ minute long track:

Mach Ångström (excerpt) by square_wave

New square_wave album: Mach Ångström

Things don't always happen in the order they're supposed to, and that's alright. So the second of two new albums is ready first. It's available now at CD Baby and will soon be available at the usual digital sites. I'm excited about this one, as Mach Ångström is my first full-on drone release, and contrasts nicely with the other album-to-be.

This thirty-plus minute piece is comprised of Serge analog modular synthesizer drones coaxed into sumptuous other-worldliness by spectral layers of ensemble generators, cured in spring reverb baths, and aged inappropriately by delays of the bucket-brigade and magnetic tape categories; augmented by dusty, ethereal guitar motifs. Recorded over two late nights in December 2008.

bananaSLOTH ate my serge...

bananaSLOTH ate my serge by square_wave

sublevel9 gear pr0n...