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33. Xenos: A Xenharmonic Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis Virtual Instrument

  • Raphael Radna (author)
Chapter of: Meta-Xenakis: New Perspectives on Iannis Xenakis’s Life, Work, and Legacies(pp. 543–562)

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Metadata
Title33. Xenos
SubtitleA Xenharmonic Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis Virtual Instrument
ContributorRaphael Radna (author)
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0390.35
Landing pagehttps://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0390/chapters/10.11647/obp.0390.35
Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
CopyrightRaphael Radna
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Published on2024-10-09
Long abstractDynamic Stochastic Synthesis (dss) is a direct digital synthesis method invented by Iannis Xenakis that produces a wave of variable periodicity through regular stochastic variation of its wave cycle, resulting in emergent pitch and timbral features. While high-level parametric control of the algorithm enables a variety of musical behaviors, composing with dss is difficult because its parameters lack basis in perceptual qualities. The Xenos virtual instrument plug-in implements dss with modifications and extensions that enhance its suitability for general composition. Written in C++ using the JUCE framework, Xenos offers dss in a convenient, efficient, and widely compatible polyphonic synthesizer that facilitates composition and performance through host-software features, including midi input and parameter automation. Xenos also introduces a pitch-quantization feature that tunes each period of the wave to the nearest frequency in an arbitrary scale. Custom scales can be loaded via the Scala tuning standard, enabling both xenharmonic composition at the mesostructural level and investigation of the timbral effects of microtonal pitch sets on the microsound timescale.
Page rangepp. 543–562
Print length20 pages
LanguageEnglish (Original)
Contributors

Raphael Radna

(author)

Raphael Radna is a composer and computer music researcher working in acousmatic music, mixed music, computer-assisted composition, spatial audio, and creative music software development. He presents music and research worldwide in such venues as the International Computer Music Conference, the International Conference on Digital Audio Effects, the San Francisco Tape Music Festival, the SEAMUS National Conference, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, and the Visiones Sonoras Festival of Music and New Technologies. He has collaborated with acclaimed artists such as Onix Ensemble, Erin McKibben, Antonina Styczeń, Shanna Pranaitis, HOCKET, and the Isaura String Quartet. His music technology work includes the Space Control spatialization software, the Xenos stochastic synthesizer, and projects for prominent developers Arturia and Cycling ’74. Radna holds a BA cum laude in Music from Vassar College, an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College, and an MSc in Media Arts and Technology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he is a PhD candidate in Music Composition studying with João Pedro Oliveira and Curtis Roads.