Dave Smith Instruments Poly Evolver Keyboard: Ethereal Pad

Published on Oct 8, 2015 Sacred Synthesis

"This improvisation is so minimalistic that it should be considered only a sound demonstration, which was my intention. Another all-Evolver improvisation - a simple dreamy piece using parallel fifths and an occasional meandering melody.

The Poly Evolver Keyboard excels at producing this sort of breathy ethereal pad, but finding just the right digital wave shape among the 96 choices is time-consuming. Each one reacts differently to even subtle changes in the filter setting and keyboard range, so that much experimentation is required. This particular sound is wonderful to a point, but then - open wide the filter or play in the upper end of the keyboard and the digital aliasing goes berserk, making it musically un-useable. You can hear the aliasing at certain points in this piece.

Sound design is a painstaking process, but it does have its rewards.

Instrumentation:
DSI Poly Evolver Keyboard (2)
DSI Poly Evolver Rack
DSI Evolver Desktop
Hammond XPK 200L

Effects:
Lexicon MX300

Performed live and recorded directly to CD.

All music property of Sacred Synthesis."