Mindstorm, for two-channel digital media (2003)

Excerpt duration: 1:04
(Duration of complete work: 5:29)

Mindstorm was written entirely in Csound. The piece is an attempt to embed the "Golden Ratio" (1 to 1.6180339887...) into all aspects of the music: the form, frequencies of pitches, amplitude and modulation envelopes, and rhythmic groupings are all based on the proportion of the Golden Ratio. Many of the sounds found in Mindstorm were created through simple Frequency Modulation and Amplitude Modulation of sine waves, with the ratio of Carrier frequencies to Modulation frequencies at 1 to 1.6180339887 with varying modulation indices. The modulation indices were controlled by envelopes whose ratio of attack to decay were also in proportion to one another according to the Golden Ratio.

Performance History

September 26, 2006, Electronic Music Concert; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

February 8, 2006, Tennille Family Art Auction
Milledgeville, GA


April 24, 2004, Douglas O'Grady DMA Recital
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

November 12, 2003, Electronic Music Concert; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Sample Csound .orc file of a "Golden Ratio" FM Instrument

; MINDSTORM by Douglas M. O'Grady
; © Copyright 2003 Douglas M. O'Grady

sr = 44100
kr = 4410
ksmps = 10
nchnls = 2

;---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; FM GOLDEN RATIO INSTRUMENT
;---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

instr 1

idur = p3
iamp = p4
ifreq = p5
ienv1 = p6
ienv2 = p7
ipan = p8

krand1 randi .005, 1/.05, .8135
krand2 randi .005, 1/.111, .3111
krand3 randi .005, 1.1.219, .6711
kjitter = (krand1+krand2+krand3)*ifreq

kamp oscili iamp, 1/idur, ienv1
kndx oscili 10, 1/idur, ienv2

afm1 foscili kamp, ifreq+kjitter, 1, 1.6180339887, kndx, 1
afm2 foscili kamp+kjitter, ifreq-kjitter, 3, 4.8541019661, kndx, 1

a1 linen afm1+afm2, .025, idur, .09

outs a1*ipan, a1*(1-ipan)

endin

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Mindstorm for two-channel digital media
© Copyright 2003 Douglas M. O'Grady
All Rights Reserved

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