Dark Waves is a piece for two amplified pianos and recorded electronic sounds. The pianos and electronic aura should be mixed together to create a unified sound. The aura recording is exactly 12 minutes in duration and provides the click track for the pianists. A high quality sound system is needed, including subwoofers, to accurately produce the wide dynamic range from very quiet to very loud.
Dark Waves is a piece for two amplified pianos and recorded electronic sounds. The pianos and electronic aura should be mixed together to create a unified sound. The aura recording is exactly 12 minutes in duration and provides the click track for the pianists. A high quality sound system is needed, including subwoofers, to accurately produce the wide dynamic range from very quiet to very loud.
Dark Waves is a piece for two amplified pianos and recorded electronic sounds. The pianos and electronic aura should be mixed together to create a unified sound. The aura recording is exactly 12 minutes in duration and provides the click track for the pianists. A high quality sound system is needed, including subwoofers, to accurately produce the wide dynamic range from very quiet to very loud.
Dark Waves is a piece for two amplified pianos and recorded electronic sounds. The pianos and electronic aura should be mixed together to create a unified sound. The aura recording is exactly 12 minutes in duration and provides the click track for the pianists. A high quality sound system is needed, including subwoofers, to accurately produce the wide dynamic range from very quiet to very loud.
Dark Waves is scored for two amplified pianos and a recorded “aura” of electronic sounds.
The pianos should be as closely matched in sound as possible. Both instruments
should be amplified and mixed with the aura to create a unified sea of sound.
The aura is exactly 12:00 in duration. Running time is shown in the score, at 24- second intervals. The pianists begin and end with the aura, and should perform with the click track provided.
A high-quality stereo or surround-sound system is essential. Because of the strong
low-frequency content, a subwoofer speaker is required. Earpieces are necessary for the pianists to hear the click track, and monitor speakers are also recommended.
Piano 1 should be situated house left/stage right. Piano 2 should be situated house right/stage left.
The pianos and the loudspeakers should be far enough apart to create a strong left/ right stereo image, but close enough to create a strong central image as well. The speakers should be situated close enough to the pianos to blur the distinctions between the aura and the live (un-amplified) piano sound.
The dynamic range of Dark Waves is very wide. A successful performance requires well-defined gradations from the threshold of audibility to full fortissimo. Careful attention to the quiet end of the dynamic spectrum is especially important. The peak of the central crescendo (6:00) should be very loud, but not harsh.
In this folder you will find the audio files necessary for performance of Dark Waves.
Included are:
1. the Aura (Surround WAV files - 24-bit/44.1kHz)
2. the Aura (Stereo WAV file - 24-bit/44.1kHz)
3. the Click Track (Mono WAV file 24-bit/44.1kHz)
4. the Aura with Click (Stereo WAV - 16-bit/44.1kHz)
Items 2. and 3. are for use in rehearsal and performance.
Item 4. is provided for burning CDs for the conductor’s use in
learning the piece. Hardware Requirements
Performance of Dark Waves requires this audio equipment:
– Professional quality speaker system, including at least one
subwoofer. Note that in the Surround version of the aura, there is intentionally no sonic information in the center channel or the LFE channel. One will need a system with a subwoofer utilizing bass management.
– (3) Channels of Playback for the stereo Aura and mono Click Track, or (5) Channels of Playback for the surround Aura and mono Click Track. Any multi-channel workstation (ProTools, Performer, Max/MSP, Tascam MX2424, etc.) or a multi-track tape deck (DA-88, ADAT, etc.) will work.
– Professional quality mixing console.
– Earpieces to feed the click track to the pianists.
– On-stage monitor speakers are recommended.
Rehearsal and Performance
On your multi-channel workstation, start all the audio files at the same time and you will have perfect synchronization.
The click has “two bars for nothing” at the top of the piece. Rehearsal letters are spoken on the same track.
Depending on the natural reverberation of the performance space, it may be
necessary to add artificial reverb to the aura.
The Aura is exactly 12:00 in duration. The pianists begin and end with the Aura, and should be precisely coordinated throughout. Running time is shown in the score, at 24-second intervals.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
