Reflection 



 


Central to Whitehead's process philosophy lies the concept of concrescence, a process of becoming where potentialities coalesce into tangible realities.


How can you expand the potentials for processing in your rig,

to expand the range of manifested sonic realities you can create?


 

 

Transmodal perception


Denis Smalley writes about the transmodal perceptual process in "Space-form and the acousmatic image" (Smalley, 2007)

 

Stephen Handel, writing about the relationship between auditory and visual perception, regards the act of looking or listening as a creative process of constructing objects – the appearance of things, ‘and things exist in space and time simultaneously’ (Handel 2006: 4–5). He notes that ‘the usual distinction that vision gives us objects and audition gives us events is a trap. It misleads us into thinking about vision as a spatial sense and about audition as a temporal sense’ (ibid.: 5). The working of the transmodal perceptual process comprises the convergence of interacting parallel and serial mechanisms which occur at several neural locations, and auditory and visual information, more often than not, represent the same activity or event.» (Smalley, p. 6, 2007)


The perspective offered by Handel, and elaborated upon by Smalley, presents a holistic view of perception that resonates with the underlying principles of the Triaxis model. The assertion that both visual and auditory senses construct objects and events within a unified field of space-time aligns with the Triaxis model’s multidimensional mapping, where sound is understood not merely as a temporal sequence, but as occupying a spatial, structural, and relational identity as well.

In the Triaxis, we navigate sound elements not only along a temporal axis, but also across spatial and relational dimensions. The notion of space-time proposed by Handel and Smalley suggests that every auditory event or object is embedded in a context that is both spatially and temporally defined. This means that in a live remixing environment, every sonic manipulation or choice exists within an interdependent space-time continuum.


In terms of making decisions that deal with temporal distribution, we can consider the two additional parameters of the X axis, aperiodicity and periodicity, as indicating the aim of distribution of sonic events.


  • Periodic aims: Decisions that build on past actual occasions, aligning with periodic aims, involve an acknowledgment and utilization of established patterns and experiences. These decisions are retrospective in that they extend and elaborate on known quantities and previously actualized events. They reflect a conservative approach to creation, emphasizing stability and continuity.

  • Aperiodic aims: On the other hand, decisions that lean towards conceptual possibilities, or aperiodic aims, embrace the potential for novelty and transformation. These are prospective choices, exploratory and speculative, aiming to bring into being what has not yet occurred. They reflect a more radical or innovative approach, often breaking from past patterns to explore new territories.


The remixician explores and expresses the spatial attributes of sound - how it occupies and defines space, moves through it, and interacts with other elements within it - just as deftly as they manipulate the temporal progression of music. This is perhaps quite obvious considering the possibilities of modern proccessing tools and plugins, yet it was not until 2019, when I had the option of spatially distrbuting a live remix in a 360 degree circle of speakers with the audience this perimeter, that I could fully express this depth of spatial manipulation.

The process modality chosen for placing an element within the Triaxis - be it operational or experiential - relates directly to the transmodal perceptual process. Operational processes might encompass the construction of these auditory objects and events from a more technical, design-focused standpoint, whereas experiential processes emphasize the subjective sensory experience of those constructs in real-time performance.

In the Triaxis model, this convergence of sensory information can be thought of as the superposition of experiential and operational nodes within the conceptual space-time of a musical performance. The notion that auditory and visual information often represents the same activity or event supports the Remixician's approach to creating a cohesive musical environment where sound is not just passing through time, but is architecturally situated, morphed, and understood in a spatial framework as well.


 

Themes, motifs, and subjects serve not as central, organizing elements but as starting points for unleashing emotional and sensory responses - floating affects that resonate with listeners in diverse and unpredictable ways.

 

 

 

Musician + remixing = remixician


Just as a violinist manipulates the strings of their instrument to create music, the remixician manipulates the streams of sound. This analogy reveals a shift in the materiality of our craft; the remixician conjures sonic narratives from the sound itself.


Playing the process, rather than the material, distinguishes the remixician's engagement with music from more traditional performances, positioning them not just as performers, but as facilitators of an emergent musical experience. The remixician navigates a complex web of sound sources and channels, each interaction a potential avenue for novel musical expressions. It is a space where the emphasis shifts from presenting predetermined material to exploring the unfolding possibilities of sound, where the music itself becomes a dynamic entity, continuously reshaped by the forces and flows of the moment.


In traditional music performances, the focus is often on the execution of specific material - notes, rhythms, and dynamics that have been composed and arranged beforehand. For the Remixician, however, the act of performance is an exploration of the potentialities within sound itself. It's about discovering and shaping the music in the moment, based on the interactions and processes that unfold within the immanent plane.


By immersing themselves in this process-oriented approach, remixicians embody a form of musical expression that is at once radical and reflective, pushing the limits of what music can be and how it can be experienced.


In sum, the role of the remixician in live remixing opens up new horizons for understanding music as an act of becoming. It foregrounds the fluidity and emergent nature of musical creation, offering a glimpse into a world where music transcends traditional forms and structures, inviting both creators and listeners to partake in the continual unfolding of sound.


Through this lens, the Triaxis model emerges not just as a theoretical framework, but both as a map and a compass for navigating the rich, uncharted territories of contemporary music making, marking a pivotal shift in our engagement with the art of sound.