The A-frames patch. 'A' is for AUM, the host app running on the iPad where all of this music happens, and 'frames' is for FRMS, the granular synthesizer running inside of AUM. These recordings, made during the month of July 2021, came out of three different versions of the A-frames patch, each with variations in instrumentation - some performance-based with generative components, others fully generative. The five selections on this album are presented in chronological order of recording date, arranged into a continuous mix.

A-frames v1 (track 1, 115 bpm)
The performer plays one note. The note becomes a chord and the chord becomes an arpeggiated pattern. Notes from the pattern are selected at random with density set by the performer, before triggering the plucked synth voice with tempo-synced delay and filter. A second voice, the granular drone, follows the single note played by the performer. Notes played are latched with others added and removed, building the arp patterns and layering the granular drone. Performance consists of adjusting voice levels, notes to chord, arp pattern change, pluck filter cutoff, pluck note chance (density), pluck delay mix, and drone delay feedback. Essential equipment included the iPad Air 3, AUM, Moog Model D AUv3, FRMS granular (Unknown Territory preset by Perplex On), QuantiChord, StepPolyArp, Drambo - midi chance module, KB-1 (XY and Keys), AU3FX:Dub delay, and FAC Alteza reverb (Init preset). This was an 'armchair jam' performed in AUM, single stereo out from AUM captured in AudioShare. Mastered in T-Racks.

A-frames v2 (track 2, 100 bpm)
In this version, the sequencer plays random notes quantized to harmonic minor with preset ratchets occurring on each step. The notes out of the sequencer are selected at random with density set by the performer, before triggering the plucked synth voice with tempo-synced delay and filter. Sequenced notes also trigger the granular strings drone with variable delay feedback, before random selection. A second drone voice built from harmonic distortion and wave shaping, is brought in and out of the mix. Performance involved adjusting voice levels, plucked synth filter cutoff, plucked synth note chance (density), pluck delay mix, strings drone delay feedback, distortion drone latched notes, distortion drone relative note levels, and distortion drone wave fold level. Essential equipment included the iPad Air 3, AUM, Moog Model D AUv3, FRMS granular, Mononoke, Riffer, Drambo midi chance, AU3FX:Dub delay, FAC Alteza reverb (Init), and TouchOSC. This was an 'armchair jam' performed with TouchOSC on the iPad. A single stereo out from AUM captured in AudioShare. Mastered in T-Racks

A-frames v3 (tracks 3, 4, 5, 90 bpm)
The patch core concept in version 3 is a random-note sequence quantized to scale with the chance of notes played modulated by a tempo-synced LFO. Notes that are played go to the plucked synth voice with synced delay and also to the live input of the granular synthesizer, for the second voice. Note velocity controls the pluck voice filter cutoff frequency. A second random sequence in the same scale but with longer note durations sends pitch and gate information to the granular. Both voices are processed through dense reverb for harmonic layering. The performances consisted only of starting and stopping of the main transport, allowing them to be fully generative. Equipment used included the iPad Air 3, AUM, Moog Model D AUv3, FRMS granular, Riffer, Drambo midi chance, AU3FX:Dub delay, and the FAC Alteza reverb. These were 'armchair jams' performed in AUM, with a single stereo out from AUM captured in AudioShare. Mastered in T-Racks

recorded July 2021