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Grain de Folie
"Granular Synthesis uses small slices of sounds (‘grains’) to compose new sounds from existing material. By combining multiple grains of differing lengths, amplitude, pitch and speed new sound are created which are often very different from the original sound recorded in. Xenakis claims to have invented the technique and indeed his ‘Analogique A-B’ [see the embed below],composed of tiny tape splices of pure tones, is credited as the first piece of granular music bacon 1959.
In the context of the Z-DSP, a block of memory is set to hold digital samples for playback: the Z-DSP has one second of memory for the audio used in processing. From this audio buffer the grains will sample and modify smaller sections for playback. The number of grains in the process determine how dense the overall output sounds. these programs have 3, 4, or 6 grains for playback. Each grain plays from a random point in the audio buffer and have an independent envelope controlling their duration. The envelope time is the ‘grain size’ parameter in many of the programs.
The French phrase for the cartridge is “Grain de Folie” which could be translated as “seeds of madness”, but in French “grain” also translates to “grain”, and “madness” evokes the strange disassembling/reassembling granular process. Also, “avoid un grain de foil” is a typically French expression to describe people behaving in a non conventional way, thus a fitting play on words quite nicely describing the unpredictable nature of this set of algorithms."
Time Fabric
"“It fucks with the fabric of time!” Tony Visconti describing Pitch Shifting to Brian Eno and David Bowie in 1976. That not so subtle description does quite neatly sum up what the Pitch Shift programs on the ‘Time Fabric’ card do!
Pitch shifting in the Z-DSP uses a technique called ‘rotating tape head’ delay lines named after pioneering tape based experiments in Germany in the 1960s. The tape heads move at speeds independent of the tape playback path and two heads are crossfaded to make a continuous output capable of beautiful pitched delay effects, harmonization and smooth reverbs.
These pitch shifting algorithms are much like the earliest digital pitch shifters released. Sounds similar to the Eventide H910, AMS 15-80 (with Pitch board) and Publison DHM 89 can be achieved. These programs are intended more for pure effects rather than the complex multiple harmony lines later devices and plugins became known for producing. Chords from single VCOs can easily be made using the ‘Interval’ programs on the card though.
Using a Z3000 to clock the Z-DSP, complete chaos from the delay lines and pitch shifting emerges, creating great and unexpected new sounds. Modulations the stereo pair of analog VC-Feebacks animates the time and distance of the pitch shift opening up these algorithms for additional control from CV and audio signal alike."
Iannis Xenakis – Analogique A et B
Published on Dec 2, 2014 Polyphonie X
"Format: 4 × CD, Compilation, Boxed Set Country: France
Released: 2011 Genre: Electronic, Classical Style:
Contemporary, Musique Concrete
Analogique A et B
Tape – Iannis Xenakis
Analogique A Et B: Recorded 1958/1959 GRM Paris. ℗ 1964 GRM under license to Classics & Jazz France, un label Universal Music France (label d'origine : Philips)
Composed By – Iannis Xenakis"
