C M Composition

52 Blue.mp4

52 Blue.

“… it’s really the story of the lonely whale and him floating out there in the abyss of the ocean without anyone—lonely. It’s part of our human existential condition” (Liu, Yihan)

"52 Blue" was heavily inspired by the urban legend of “The 52htz Whale" . This whale’s distinct sound has led researchers to dub it "the world's loneliest whale," as it appears that no other whales have responded to its calls since its discovery. This nautical tale of mystery, uncertainty and loneliness are what the emotional core of the piece stems from. The narrative of the "52 Hertz Whale" resonates with the human existential condition, as described by “Liu Yihan” (2024), highlighting the profound sense of solitude that both humans and the whale experience. These states of mind can be interpreted through music in many ways, the tools which attempt to capture them in this piece, are the implementation of reverbs and delays. More specifically the rightfully named “Mariana” modulated reverb pedal and the “M-Wave Elemental” delay pedal. These were chosen mainly to portray vast spaces and also, since the ocean is the main aesthetic background for this composition, depth. The composition incorporates layers of sound that build and evolve over time with real time processing techniques, including live looping and modulation using the “BOSS-RC 30”.

The Lighthouse.

Carrying on the nautical theme “The Lighthouse” follows up on themes of uncertainty in a more experimental foray into electronic live production, using a wide selection of hardware including,“The Grandmother”, "The Laboratory” and the “ Korg Drumlogue”, for some added textures and randomisation. These choices were made to try and harness the power of modular synthesis whilst highlighting parallels to lighthouses, drawing attention to both bodies' emissions of signals in their workings. This form of composition, that being synthesis, was chosen as an “accessible” alternative to “conventional” composing techniques whilst simultaneously providing complex moods and overlays of sound.

The production process for this consisted of two recording sessions, one collecting frequencies and textures (in a selected key signature) from hardware. Another reinforcing the existing layers with various VSTs including some samples from the “Altered States” sample pack. This was later mixed together to provide a longer piece. Other forms of sampling such as granular synthesis have been implemented to explore further textural experimentation and soundscaping, in the manipulation of vocals.

The Lighthouse.mov