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Re: [microsound] Re: secrets needed: ryoichi kurokawa



This is very true.  Process is everything for art, because it
indicates the line of intention and attention of the artist.

If the artist just runs a recording through a plugin, say, thonk,
which basically does a bunch of random processes which the user has no
control over, and then plops it onto a cd and tries to sell it, it's
not really a very in depth process, and not very good art or music in
my opinion.

But if the artist instead runs thousands of different soundfiles
through the same program, and then hand picks a few that sound
interesting to him/her, and then further tweaks and arranges these
into a thoughtful composition, then this will be reflected in the
piece.

It's the same reason that Del Monte tomatoes are gross and bleached
out, unfit for even a sandwich garnish, but a good ole homegrown
Heirloom tomato is so delicious that it can be eaten like an apple.
The difference is that one was given the minimal amount of attention
to maximize quantity (and assumed profits), whereas the other was
given a considerable dose of attention to maximize quality.

So process, even if unrevealed, has a direct impact on the quality of a work.

~Kyle

On 9/15/06, David Powers <cyborgk@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I could resolve these contradictions by saying that what should be
judged, is the process of creation, as it encompases all aspects
including the tools. The process of creation includes building your
tools, taking existing tools and working with them in subtle and
complex ways, or finding ways to glitch out and abuse already existing
software.

Most importantly, and something that some postmodern process artists
forget: part of the process is knowing when a piece is ready to be
frozen and fixed in a particular state as a "finished piece". It's
status as finished and frozen is somewhat arbitrary, yet nevertheless
necessary, for the production of most kinds of art, whether you are
building a building, writing a piece to be performed on October 17, or
creating a CD release. If the tool IS the artwork, then I'd argue you
are working in a different genre than a musician creating a CD, but
nevertheless the process of creation could still be examined.

We can also criticize naive uses of tools on the basis of process. If
someone turns on a software, and in five minutes renders out some
trite audio based on a preset sound, we can speak of an inadequate
process.

Even presets however might have their place in some processes. From
time to time, I'm drawn to the idea of making some kinds of super
crazy music, using old Casios with terrible presets, or samples of
said instruments (like Sk-1 drums). The obsolete and primitive nature
of their sound, perhaps would give such compositions some appeal and
an aura of melancholy.

Of course, what if one doesn't know the process, which is so often
true? Just as often, of course, we don't ACTUALLY know the tools used
for a particular creation either... And people are likely to think
that X was created with Y, because Y is their favored tool for
creating X, without knowing anything about artist Z's actual working
methods.

~David

On 9/15/06, thorin kerr <thorin.kerr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> This thread has provoked me out of quietly lurking...
>
> Once I was totally convinced that the method of production should be
> invisible. If it wasn't, then somehow I was letting the technology
> guide the sound, and this was somehow inferior to what I actually
> wanted to realise.
>
> And then I met an instrument builder. The art was in the instrument.
> All of it. It's construction, it's mechanics. It's sounds..
>
> On the face of it these ideas oppose each other, but I'd suggest it's
> not worthwhile comparing them either.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 9/15/06, mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > > 'the medium is no longer the message, the tool has become the message'
> > >
> >
> > I agree! I have derived my musical activities towards constructing my own
> > software; thus, mi sound comes from my tool
> >
> > hernan
> >
> > >
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> >
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