LO – 10

I came across the work of Robert Henke and found his installation, music, and software development work interesting especially with more knowledge of computer generated sounds from this weeks’ lectures. One track I wanted to highlight is “Gobi: The Long Edit” released this spring, a remastered edit of a previous track. What I find very impressive with this track is how organic it feels and the complexity of the layering of frequencies. It’s clear that Henke used a variety of modulators to adjust the frequency and amplitude of the waveforms. The result is an experience that is comparable to the sounds of creatures, vibrations, and ambience of a rainforest. To create something that feels organic and “real” with synthetic, digital means must be a difficult process. It makes me wonder how authentic soundtracks are in movies and TV. To what extent are they manipulated to resemble real-life? Even though I find this track comparable to nature, there is no doubt Henke incorporates his personal artistic vision into this sound art. This is especially apparent in his other tracks like the ones in his album “Archaeopteryx.” These pieces feel more distinctly “electronic” with clear examples of techniques like reverb, delay, and different-shaped waves.