DISCOVERY FIRM

Sep 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Julian Colbeck Infinite Sound: Ambient Atmospheres

           
 

Infinite Sound: Ambient Atmospheres, indeed. J. Arif Verner has a good ear not only for sample-CD titles, but also for his music, which twists, turns, loops, and gloops throughout this 1-hour-plus aural cyclorama.

The contents of this audio CD ($99.95) are divided into four categories: Vignettes (samples less than 1 minute in length); Motifs (samples more than 1 minute in length); Construction Set (component parts of a complete piece of music); and Multisamples (sounds and effects at different pitches).

Noises From Afar In a broad sense, we're talking about outer-space noises, synthy textures, sounds, rhythms, and effects that have no equivalent within traditional-instrument confines. Frankly, if people used synthesizers in the way that they were originally designed to be used, there would be no need for this kind of product. But we don't, so there is.

The disc's recording quality is top-notch - not a harsh reverb or a jittery sample within earshot. The titles in the Vignettes categories say it all: Star Shooter, Cosmic Yawn, Radio Robot, and Brain Chatter, which leads me to wonder if Verner programmed (or at the very least, named) patches for Korg in a past life; if not, a career awaits. The samples are clearly timed and well documented in the clean, informative CD booklet, which indicates pitch and key information where relevant.

The Rhythms subsection of the Vignettes category features many infectious and original grooves; Navaka Soul and the twangy, 7-part Modulation collection are my favorites. Two other subsections, Processed Guitars and MIDI Guitar Synth, feature delightfully unguitarlike noises and effects, from the scampering Les Paw (I told you that Verner was good at titles) to the Beatles-esque backward guitar of Inverse. A standout in MIDI Guitar Synth is City Strut, which resembles Steve Hackett's "Clocks." While most self-respecting guitarists with a decent stompbox could probably produce similar material, most keyboardists cannot, so this is valuable fare.

Motif Extractions The longer Motifs, similar in style to the Vignettes, would make excellent loops for exhibitions, Web sites, and multimedia presentations. You could simply use them as backdrops that could perhaps pique your own creativity.

Longer still, Construction Set comprises six parts of a miniature Verner composition, Animal Sleep, that the composer recommends you reassemble or dissect as you wish. The distinction between this set of whizzes, whooshes, and rattles and any other on the CD is a little hard to figure out, but as ever, detail and delicacy abound.

Lastly, the Multisamples offer different pitches of a groove or texture. Some intervals are as wide as octaves (Bubbles); others are just a third or fourth apart, allowing you to build up a useful sample patch.

Jumping-Off Points Track 99, Oxymoron - the final sample on this generously lengthy disc - left me wondering how far Verner was keeping his tongue in his cheek. A fossilized-on-CD collection of constantly evolving sounds is indeed a contradiction in terms, and Verner does implore you to use these sound images as starting points - "question marks left to be answered," he says.

Infinite Sound: Ambient Atmospheres is neat in both senses of the word. The documentation is concise yet adequate, and the recording quality is faultless throughout. Well done, Discovery Firm. Thank you for bringing us this beguiling and creative collection.