Re: [microsound] Parmegiani in Sydney

["ian stewart" <artsonics@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dale:
>I still haven't figured out what a performance
consisting of "mixing stereo from a single CD" into 8 channels means,
other than just channeling a single stereo signal out 4 times. And then
what? Tweaking the EQ on each channel? Could you (or anyone else)
possibly elaborate further or surmise a guess? <

Known as 'diffusion', this is how many stereo electroacoustic works are 
presented in concert. You're right, the stereo signal is sent identically to 
many pairs of speakers (an 'orchestra of loudspeakers') which (typically) 
encircle the audience, but the diffuser is able to control the levels, eq, 
etc of the speakers in real-time--- each speaker has a corresponding fader 
on a mixing desk. If you're good on the mixing console, you can make the 
sound sweep from the front of the room to the back, or in circles around the 
audience, etc, by adjusting the levels of the faders. This description is a 
bit simplified, and there's a lot of theorizing about diffusion- see e.g. 
Jonty Harrison's article:

http://cec.concordia.ca/econtact/Diffusion/Beast.htm

Parmegiani (at least when I've seen him) is very subtle in diffusion, just 
slight adjustments to levels to set one section off from another, no THX f/x 
that I could hear.

best,
Ian

_________________________________________________________________
Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger 
http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger

------------------------------