Principia Cosmologica: Modern Sound Art (Part 1)

There are three main tools used in sound design. These are sound generators (gens), control surfaces, and sound modifiers (mods).

SOUND GENS

There are four types of sound generators. These are drum machines, noise generators, drone machines, and synthesizers. Drum machines generate drum beat sounds. Noise generators are good for generating random noises. Drone machines generate droning sounds, like those of buzzing bees.

Two types of drone machines are the Grendel Drone Commander, which is good for more practical purposes, and the Sleepdrone 5, which is good for more experimental purposes.

Grendel Drone Commander

Sleepdrone 5

Synthesizers are much more varied than the previous three. They are good for creating many different types of sound. There are three main types of synths: analog, digital, and hybrid. Analog synths are for generating continuous pure sound which can be represented as a sine wave. Digital synths are for generating more discrete sound represented by waveforms. Hybrid synths have analog voice architecture which is routed so it can be digitally controlled. The hybrids are the best for maximizing functionality with a finite number of knobs.

Synths can be routed in three ways. They can be self-contained, modular, or semi-modular. Self-contained synths have complete internal routing. Modular synths have no internal routing (routing to be done by the user with many cables). Semi-modular synths have partial internal routing. The user buys parts of a whole synth for maximum control. The semi-modular synths can be integrated into a modular system. Synths also have two voice architecture distinctions. They can be monophonic or polyphonic. Monophonic synths allow for one note to be pressed at a time. Polyphonic synths allow for a certain maximum finite number of notes to be pressed at any given time. This maximum number can range, but usually takes on values of 4 or 8.