Schizophonia nº1a

Continuity and transition

Schizophonia nº1a functions as an étude in continuity with previous pieces for solo instrument and live sound processing. In those works, the sound processes were controlled through MIDI devices developed specifically for each piece, such as the GEP Pedal and the GEP Jack.

In this work, the intention is to transfer that work with interactive devices by using Ableton Live 12 as a sound processor. Some LFOs are incorporated to generate a minimal degree of randomness in the sound processing. The future goal is to develop generative patches in Pure Data that can serve as an audio transformation engine instead.

Conceptual framework

The piece begins from the term schizophonia, proposed by Murray Schafer and understood as the dissociation between a sound source and its sound. From there, the work also brings into dialogue Pierre Schaeffer’s idea of the sound object and Pauline Oliveros’s practice of Deep Listening.

These references allow sound to be considered not only as the result of an instrumental source, but also as material that can be separated, transformed, and listened to again from another perspective.

Listening and transformation

The composition seeks to tune the ears to perceive variations of the “original” sound and discover the subtleties that can emerge through live processing. These subtleties constantly vary through small differences in execution and interpretation, even when all parameters are defined with the same precision as the notes written for the cello.

The transformation of sound becomes a central part of the listening process: not as a loss of identity, but as the possibility of revealing new forms of sonic presence.

Technical configuration

• Cello
• Microphone connected to an audio interface
• Operator
• Computer with Ableton Live 12
• Audio interface with stereo output

Transformation and identity

“If you think that your ‘true identity’ is what you are at this moment, I am sorry to say that you are mistaken. Human beings have the capacity to change. What you are at this moment is only the starting point of a much more splendid identity that you will build over time.”

Dr. Daisaku Ikeda