Towards an Aesthetic of Instrumental Plausibility for Mixed Electronic Music

Abstract

The implementation of live audio transformations in mixed electronic music raises the issue of plausibility in real-time instrumental transposition. The composer-performer collaboration described in this paper deals with two of the composer’s existing pieces for solo instrument and computer, addressing issues of timbre and intonation in the output and adapting the existing software with improvements informed by both the physical resonating properties of musical instruments and by instrumental ensemble practice. In preparing these pieces for publication, wider performance and further instrumental transcription, improvements stemming from both compositional and performative considerations were implemented to address this issue of plausibility. While not attempting to closely simulate a human approach, the authors worked towards a pragmatic heuristic that draws on human musical nuancing in concert practice. Alternative control options for a range of concert spaces were also implemented, including the configuration of user input and output at interface level in order to manage common performance-related contingencies.