#40

Hi everyone, I have been wanting to post a track since November when I discovered Disquiet Junto from a podcast interviewing Lucid Grain, a modular synth duo. This is my first post.

Acquired Comforts is an ironic analogy to what is referred as acquired taste, where something that might be perceived as displeasing becomes pleasing by tasting it.

As the theme is settled within offices, and therefore city life, I chose to create a piece that reflects the alienation that we suffer form modern life, as corporate offices consume our best hours and years, paperwork and chores are a weekly challenges, where fancy cars, cigarettes, and ulcer giving eating habits are advertised as enjoyment…a scenario where suffering becomes sophistication

For this track I used only the Korg Electribe Sampler 2, and the Volca Fm and recorded it in one take. The Fm provided that cold and glassy sound, the e2s the drum, bass, and a synth voice with a vocal type filter, all through a decimator as the master fx, as decimation occurs naturally on call hold music.

So, is it pleasing? Yes and No…

6 Likes
#41

My idea of pleasing hold music is that it should be soothing, happy background music that is non-distracting, so you can continue working while waiting. But it should be interesting to listen to if you choose to listen, at least for brief snippets. The category “repetitious new age music” fits somewhat.

It should also sound decent on narrowband POTS (plain old telephone service) audio frequencies of 330 Hz to 3400 Hz.

My composition is comprised of 7 instruments playing 7 repeating parts at different cycles in C Major. The repeating parts are unpredictable enough to be interesting, yet predictable enough to be familiar. There is no melody to distract the listener. Just repetitious new age music.

Although the recording uses the full audio spectrum, I listened to it through a 300 to 3400 Hz filter to ensure it would sound adequate on a telephone line.

The track cover art is a self-portrait while listening to hold music too long.

7 Likes
#42

No time for a description now, but here’s my piece: https://soundcloud.com/plusch/hold-loop-disquiet0335

7 Likes
#43

…really loved this weeks prompt, and I had a day off to participate…
I just knew I had to try out a 12 tone row and 11 intervals - so I used the Mother Chord row used by, among others, Alban Berg in his Lyric Suite - the notes are F, E, C, A, G, D, A♭, D♭, E♭, G♭, B♭, C♭.
I had an idea of using a Glockenspiel to imitate the tradition of waiting music - I ended up with a preset in Ableton that I liked. I the wrote the notes in the piano roll. I then had Ableton going through the motions to form the 4 possibilities of retrograde/inversions to form the “melody”.
The “bass line” is an inversion of the original row quad-doubled in time. I then moved individual notes to form movement through a rhythm.
The tempo is 66 BPM - since I learned that the sum of numbers 1 through 11 equals 66. I “looped” the piece 6 times before uploading it to Soundcloud.

6 Likes
#44

I really enjoyed your piece… I would call you hoping to be put on hold

1 Like
#45

Not an entry - but I just remembered I made this a few years back - would have fitted the brief quite well!

https://soundcloud.com/search?q=ikjoyce%20telephone

2 Likes
#46

I forgot what I called for… :slight_smile: Lovely

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#47

I feel like I could very easlily go off and make some coffee, and get my notes in order whilst this plays and I wait for an answer- perfect for the job!

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#48

In my mind, I could see Wile E Coyote :slight_smile: Very entertaining!

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#49

I really like this idea of using field recordings for hold music - nice!

2 Likes
#50

thank you, Ian. Yes, very soothing…

1 Like
#51

@rrizzi thanks for listening!

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#52

Hi folks, a little interlude to loop for infinity…
:smile:
:sunny:

3 Likes
#53

I used iOS apps: Rozeta Collider sequencer which had Rozeta LFO modulating the pitch and the amount of hadrons, these in turn sent midi to the 3 synths; Kronecker, Tardigrain & iSEM.
The idea was to create a short loop that drifted in and out, in a dreamlike fashion, to make the wait in limbo as painless as possible!
:slight_smile:

1 Like
#54


I was waiting in a hot car for a passenger, when I used music memo to grab a few thoughts. I then imported those thoughts and some VCV snippets I created. Played in Live 10 with the clips and then recorded a version. Reversed it and blended the 2 with some of the vocals that I ran thru a randomization MAX patch I built. Replayed those clips and layered them with some additional BASS, compression and panning. I have secretly always wanted to annoy the people on hold with a tune. I hope you enjoy!

3 Likes
#55

Once again I’m pouring Tocante Bistab noise through an audio-to-MIDI sieve, and this time it’s coming out rather muzakky. This time that’s okay. Mellow will soothe my impatience at waiting on hold and my dread of eventually conversing with a disembodied voice.

5 Likes
#56

Handing this in; landed on Soundcloud 5 minutes ago:

[Edit: description of process from the soundcloud page:]
For this recording, I played an 80s Casio keyboard horn and synth tracks over the demo function that came with an equally old drum machine (Yamaha DD-14). The xylophone, dogs, and applause are from the drum machine’s sound effects bank, and can be played over the demo.

3 Likes
#57

Hey All, I went with the most commercially viable one. Using FM8 and Arturia DX7 for kinda a muzak from the mid 80’s

A humorous NON-SUBMISSION

NON-SUBMISSION The one I would most like to hear on hold.

Peace, Hugh

2 Likes
#58

Ha! Good to have you here, @prema108 - and thanks to listening to the podcast.

#59

NON-SUBMISSION Hey All, I used some short samples from tracks this week. Thanks to ikjoyce and ethan hein for making them available.

Peace, Hugh

1 Like