Works » By Title » P » Possible Orchestras (at the 21st harmonic) (12:41 / 1984)

The sound complexes of “Possible Orchestras (at the 21st harmonic)” are produced through FM sound synthesis techniques. A multiple modulator instrument was created which embraces and contains three types of FM. There are: simple FM (single modulator); nested or cascaded FM (modulator modulating another modulator); and feedback FM (similar to nested FM with the addition of a feedback loop oscillator into the initial modulator). The summation of indices and ratio relationships of these processes modulate a single carrier. Spectral smearing is utilized in order to simulate broad gestures of sound aggregates ranging from string and brass clusters, vocal chorusing, to noisebands. Spectral energy is often distributed to and concentrated at the 21st harmonic. The auditory result produces upper formant regions in relation to the frequencies at which the fundamentals are pitched. Random and periodic vibrato is used as pitch perturbations and is moved throughout the bandwidths of the harmonic spectrum, sometimes splitting a spectrum into upper and lower spectral components and identities.