Drowning

Drowning – by Edwin Montgomery

This piece was composed using only a few seconds of recorded audio, for the Sound and Music for Multimedia course at the University of Sydney. The source sounds were recorded spontaneously in a few minutes with a minidisk, and manipulated in Peak on an Imac. Much of the sound creation process was achieved through the sequencer, Cubase, using internal effects and plug-ins.

Most of the piece encompasses a drifting, rhythmless soundscape. It begins with the chime of a bell-like sound, then drifts into a calm confusion. After hints of a pulse, there is an element of panic that arises. To this is added the blurry original subject, which combined lead into the steady, slightly dizzy pulse hinted at before – also the only thematic material to feature discernable pitch. Harmonically, then, this section reaches the climax of the piece, dissolving tension, itself then fading into the original motive. The piece dissolves away at the end in a state of quiet, calm but disoriented state.

Fine print: All material copyright 2003 Edwin Montgomery. Use it for your own profit and I send you rotten eggs in the mail.