Mixing Sounds  

While digging through some old cardboard boxes, I found a CD with a recording of mine. A musical composition made a few years ago. It was put together at the Upchurch Studio for Electro-Acoustic Music at TCU as part of a seminar on new music. I am not going to try to describe the piece. Frankly, I don’t even remember what it was about. What I do remember is being there in the studio, putting the final touches and mixing a host of bizarre sounds at 3 a.m. with a synthesizer, a massive computer set up, and a looming deadline in front of me. 

Looking back, the exercise was almost like a conducting experience. Yes, orchestrating sounds, framing them as a part of something larger, more complete. Gesturing in a new sound, panning another, keeping track of the overall structure. There was a sense of feeling too, finding the right pace, the right groove. It was all an act of creation. And all of that, being there present in the experience of it all (beyond the product itself) is what brings me back to making music, everyday, all the time. Fast forward a few years, I am listening to it again, with fresh ears, as if it was the first time. And I want to share with you. Have a listen, and if you like it, pass it on. Six minutes long, no more, no less. 

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