Welcome back everybody! I’ve released a YT short and talked with some of you on social media, but wow has it been a hot minute since a new oscilloscope song!
One of the most frustrating parts of making oscilloscope music is finding a balance between good visuals and good audio. For the past year I’ve been making music exclusively in my DAW (which is not designed for oscilloscope music). I synthesized waves that looked and sounded great on their own, but when I added other sounds for harmony or percussion, the images distorted into chaos. Fine-tuning them is the hardest part of any song. And on that note, I have some good news.
For the past three months, I have been learning how to use Osci-Render and the programming language LUA to convert mathematical geometry into sound waves! Now I have the tools to either start from the intended image and construct a sound, or start from a sound to make an image! This does unfortunately mean that songs will require more effort, but the songwriting process will be much more efficient, and the overall quality will improve. So keep an eye out for some interesting releases in the coming weeks!
Also, I’m considering getting a Patreon or similar service, and I’d like to know if any of you are interested. Subscribing there would give you access to some of the files used in creating my songs, early access to upcoming releases, videos describing the design process, and tutorials on how to use Osci-Render and GarageBand to create oscilloscope music.
I hope you all are doing well! I’d love to hear your feedback and catch up in the comments. (Oh, and if you want me to bounce a version of this song without the percussion so you can see the images with less distortion, let me know.)
My oscilloscope music:
0:00 - Intro (Theme)
0:31 - Verse 1
1:24 - Bridge (Return to Theme)
1:45 - Verse 2 (Evolution of Theme)
2:48 - Coda