Hi All,
I’ve been building a VCV module based on the travelling-wave predictive coding model from Alamia & VanRullen (PLOS Biology, 2019), validated against Timmermann et al.'s EEG data on DMT. One knob moves the system between states, and the outputs are modulation sources whose behaviour changes along that sweep.
It works, and I’ve gotten some sounds out of it I found genuinely interesting. But I’ve been building it alone for a couple of months and I think I’m going in circles.
Where I actually am:
- The module runs. DSP characterization isn’t finished, I’ve been playing with it but haven’t solved all the issues.
- I have a handful of exploratory patches, but half of them were built against an older version of the module, so I don’t even know how they sound now.
- Reading about precedents (Lucier, Teitelbaum, Rosenboom) I noticed most biosignal work sonifies, maps the signal straight to audio, so the composition IS the signal. Rosenboom’s answer in 1977 was to have the signal select within an already-musical space instead. I think that distinction matters for what I’m doing, but I haven’t explored it at all yet. It’s just an idea.
What I’m looking for: people to try it and tell me whether it’s useful for anything. I use VCV as a hobby and don’t know any artists working in this space, so I’m putting myself out there.
My background is in electrical engineering and this is my first time doing something in this space.