Microtonal music – a suite of six ambient sonic atmospheres created by connecting a purpose-built generative network (designed using Nodal Sequencer) into a bank of synthesizers tuned via MTS-ESP (Microtonal Tuning System – Extended System Plug-in).

For this composition I designed a Nodal network providing output on 9 MIDI channels. The network was designed to be adjusted live while generation is taking place, so the output MIDI events are part generated, and part “performed”.

The tuning regime employed is my own 16-tone 833 cent Fibonacci based scale structure. This scale doesn’t employ octaves or fifths, but provides a palette of 20 pitches in approximately the same octave interval as the usual 12 semitones available in traditional music.

My subtractive compositional method involves using a network to generate multiple large “blocks” of MIDI sound events which are recorded in a DAW. I then manually edit the blocks, thinning out acoustically dense regions, extending sparse regions, adjusting relative pitch, sliding events along the timeline whilst experimenting with synthesizer presets and FX. I also sprinkle in a variety of samples and altered real-world recordings to provide additional flavour.

If you are interested in microtonal music theory, please check out: https://petervodden.blog/portfolio/a-golden-ratio-music-vocabulary/