Echolalia's Sensible Environment

Echolalia has a custom sensible environment, distilled from recordings of infant sounds, emanating from inside the piano itself. The sensible environment lets us hear the piano as an architectural space, its own spatial context.

This recording is meant to demonstrate a solution to the problem of simulating such a work. There are several difficulties. First, a MIDI sampler by itself is inadequate for realistic simulation of the piano, when the resonces of the piano, as controlled by the pedals, are integral to the composition. Second, recorded sounds meant to be heard emanating from inside the piano must elicit sympathetic vibrations from the piano in a realistic way.

Both difficulties are addressed here by modeling the piano strings as thousands of individual resonances distributed acros the spectrum, with strengths and decay rates modifiable by the damper pedal. Both the infant sounds and piano sounds are sent through the resonance engine, which is controlled by MIDI pedal data. The resonance engine is built with CNMAT's resonance sysnthesis tools.

 

Simulating a performance of Echolalia
with its sensible environment

There are several difficulties involved in simulating such a work. First, a MIDI sampler by itself is inadequate for realistic simulation of the piano, when the resonces of the piano, as controlled by the pedals, are integral to the composition. Second, recorded sounds meant to be heard emanating from inside the piano must elicit sympathetic vibrations from the piano in a realistic way.

Both difficulties are addressed here by modeling the piano strings as thousands of individual resonances distributed acros the spectrum, with strengths and decay rates modifiable by the damper pedal. Both the infant sounds and piano sounds are sent through the resonance engine, which is controlled by MIDI pedal data. The resonance engine is built with CNMAT's resonance sysnthesis tools.