Clock drift / bit slip

Sep 10, 2023, 01:40 PM

"For this project, I wanted to use techniques and tools that I found helpful in my personal quest for healthy sleeping. 

The loss of the natural ability to rest peacefully and reload seems evident: the recent major shifts and events in our lives eventually took their toll, resulting in a somewhat drained battery existence. 

Still, it's no secret that our brain can restore itself, reinstate peace, recalibrate if you like, tune off from life's constant cacophony, and, well, enjoy different kinds of noise. The brain surely can transform the very issue of noise and use it as a "blessing in disguise". 

What works for me is a "wall of sound", pink noise, white noises; constant, fierce, wide-range tones which reduces the agility of unwelcome, sudden sounds. 
The sonic environment keeps the mind focused on itself and doesn't make it filter individual noises. 

The Dettifoss waterfall recording was a choice made due to these qualities present. On my trip to Iceland, I experienced such effectiveness in person, which resulted in addition to the collection of "working" sounds. 
Waterfalls and streams are indeed sonic walls with a rich frequency range, and able to cancel or lower the impact of unexpected sound intruders. 

I approached the piece conscious of that, creating a fusion between enveloping patterns, shuffled sound mosaics, and field material, bringing just enough new nuances to build on the spiral. 
Still, keeping the structure intact for the brain to dwell in and fall into the loop of relaxation.

The mind does enjoy slight musical detours under circumstances, yet all of it comes to a designed peaceful resolution. Sleep might as well be engaging, colorful, and almost hyper-dimensional, which the right music can aid. 

Now, per design, if the sounds do come in, they are met with a different set of rules that do not harm the existing harmony and add to the music sculpture. 

Based on various experiences with exhaustion levels I found white/pink/brown noises and pattern-istic melodies click well with ASMR, certain textured sounds do enhance relaxation. 
Moreover, I used all the findings in the production, hoping it worked toward the goal. 

Another principle was the creation of a track that is not designed for headphones exclusively (although the benefits and experience from a headset are undeniably broader).
I discovered that listening to the material through speakers, including lo-fi ones or cellphones, is equally efficient. 

Therefore, I would encourage diffusion of the following creative wall of noise, through whatever device comes in handy. 

Think of it as a sound pill to keep your mind steady, imagination in line, visualization ready, and vibe present, while being taken to places of your choosing. 
The intention is to help you sleep. Colorfully. "

Dettifoss reimagined by Serge Bulat. 

IMAGE: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/