Interaction 1 (2012)

For crackle box and interactive system

Duration: about 11 minutes

Tech: portable mono amplifier with subwoofer

score (jpg, 2Mb)

Interaction 1 uses the sound of a crackle box (1) to control a computer. During the performance, the computer responds only to the crackle box’s analog output; the performer does not interact with the computer directly. The piece explores how gestures on a physical instrument can shape digital sound through analysis and mapping.

The main focus is how much control the crackle box has over the synthetic sound. At first, it shapes sounds that are fixed in advance. Gradually, it gains more influence, until pitch and timing are fully determined by what happens during the performance. In the second section, predefined behaviors mix with behaviors that emerge in real time, without a clear linear direction. In the final section, the relationship is reduced to very small changes, with gestures only slightly affecting beating patterns in high and low registers.

The crackle box was chosen for its sensitivity and its history. It is based on an unstable integrated circuit that was considered a design flaw in conventional engineering. The instrument uses this instability as a creative feature. The piece extends this idea by showing how technical flaws can be reused as expressive musical elements.

(1) The crackle box was designed by Michel Waisvisz in 1974 at STEIM. It uses an operational amplifier (LM709) with exposed connections. By touching them, the performer activates the circuit using their body as a conductor. The sound depends on body resistance and touch pressure.