Music release today. 

Partly based on the Granular FM technique that Victor and I wrote about for the last Csound conference. Partly also based on Lsystem rhythmic motive exploration. And in addition to Csound, I doubled some of the stems on the acoustic OSC-controlled pipe organ in Orgelpark/Amsterdam.

https://kropputengrenser.bandcamp.com/track/yvind-brandtsegg-a-gordian-not-spor20

Hope you enjoy

Øyvind

The full description here:

The piece is based on two organic influences: A melodic Lindenmayer system, and a feedback FM technique within granular synthesis. A Lindenmayer system is a formalisation of growth processes in trees and plants, and the branching patterns have here been translated to rhythmic and melodic patterns. When a stem splits out into 2,3 or more branches, these patterns were used to create rhythmic subdivisions within the available time for each stem. This creates somewhat odd polyrhythms that are not easily represented by traditional notation. Similarly, the angle of each branch is translated to melodic intervals, creating self-similar motifs on several layers when the process is applied repeatedly. The feedback FM technique heard in the beginning and very end of the piece is based on an experiment in stabilizing the pitch drift one would normally get with frequency modulation feedback with simple oscillators. Allowing the modulation feedback to happen within each sonic particle of a granular process, the pitch is reset for each new grain and thus more feedback modulation can be applied before it destabilizes itself. Regulating grain size, grain pitch, modulation index, and feedback phase delay, one gets a complex nonlinear 4-dimensional parameter space that, as far as I can see is best explored by ear. The underlying mathematics break down under high modulation indices. Both these techniques appear to have this interesting tension between rigid formalism and unruly organic behaviour, and the piece attempts to explore this complex space.

A purely electronic version of the piece was composed during spring 2025, and an opportunity presented itself to render it on the computer controllable pipe organ og the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. The acoustic pipe organ sound complements the natural sonic processes of the L-system, and starving the air pressure of the organ pipes complements the nonlinear behaviour of the feedback FM technique. 

Csound mailing list Csound@listserv.heanet.ie https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND Send bugs reports to https://github.com/csound/csound/issues Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Hello Øyvind!
Oeyvind Brandtsegg, Mar 4 2026:
...
> https://kropputengrenser.bandcamp.com/track/yvind-brandtsegg-a-gordian-notspor20
...
This is impressive, as far as I understand the underlying principals.
Certainly, their application yielded a fascinating piece of music.
Captivating even to my dummy mainstream ears. So unexpected, when it
began turning into a weird techy version of fusion jazz/prog. Honestly,
at some point I expected the band to count in and go into a more linear
symphonic prog song.

Such anecdotal references aside, there was one sentence in your
description that resonated with me and touched me: a 4-dimensional
parameter space best explored by ear. I'm paraphrasing. Beautifully said
and done.

Thank you for sharing and best wishes,

Jeanette

--
  * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rfGrTwz8W7jhC1Jnv7g
  * GitHub: https://github.com/jeanette-c

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Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Music release today. 

Partly based on the Granular FM technique that Victor and I wrote about for the last Csound conference. Partly also based on Lsystem rhythmic motive exploration. And in addition to Csound, I doubled some of the stems on the acoustic OSC-controlled pipe organ in Orgelpark/Amsterdam.

https://kropputengrenser.bandcamp.com/track/yvind-brandtsegg-a-gordian-not-spor20

Hope you enjoy

Øyvind

The full description here:

The piece is based on two organic influences: A melodic Lindenmayer system, and a feedback FM technique within granular synthesis. A Lindenmayer system is a formalisation of growth processes in trees and plants, and the branching patterns have here been translated to rhythmic and melodic patterns. When a stem splits out into 2,3 or more branches, these patterns were used to create rhythmic subdivisions within the available time for each stem. This creates somewhat odd polyrhythms that are not easily represented by traditional notation. Similarly, the angle of each branch is translated to melodic intervals, creating self-similar motifs on several layers when the process is applied repeatedly. The feedback FM technique heard in the beginning and very end of the piece is based on an experiment in stabilizing the pitch drift one would normally get with frequency modulation feedback with simple oscillators. Allowing the modulation feedback to happen within each sonic particle of a granular process, the pitch is reset for each new grain and thus more feedback modulation can be applied before it destabilizes itself. Regulating grain size, grain pitch, modulation index, and feedback phase delay, one gets a complex nonlinear 4-dimensional parameter space that, as far as I can see is best explored by ear. The underlying mathematics break down under high modulation indices. Both these techniques appear to have this interesting tension between rigid formalism and unruly organic behaviour, and the piece attempts to explore this complex space.

A purely electronic version of the piece was composed during spring 2025, and an opportunity presented itself to render it on the computer controllable pipe organ og the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. The acoustic pipe organ sound complements the natural sonic processes of the L-system, and starving the air pressure of the organ pipes complements the nonlinear behaviour of the feedback FM technique. 

Csound mailing list Csound@listserv.heanet.ie https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND Send bugs reports to https://github.com/csound/csound/issues Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Øyvind,

Cool.  Frank Zappa meets ELP.  Love it.

- Dr.B

Dr. Richard Boulanger

Professor

Electronic Production and Design

Berklee College of Music

Professional Writing & Technology Division

On Wed, Mar 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM Oeyvind Brandtsegg <obrandts@gmail.com> wrote:

Music release today. 

Partly based on the Granular FM technique that Victor and I wrote about for the last Csound conference. Partly also based on Lsystem rhythmic motive exploration. And in addition to Csound, I doubled some of the stems on the acoustic OSC-controlled pipe organ in Orgelpark/Amsterdam.

https://kropputengrenser.bandcamp.com/track/yvind-brandtsegg-a-gordian-not-spor20

Hope you enjoy

Øyvind

The full description here:

The piece is based on two organic influences: A melodic Lindenmayer system, and a feedback FM technique within granular synthesis. A Lindenmayer system is a formalisation of growth processes in trees and plants, and the branching patterns have here been translated to rhythmic and melodic patterns. When a stem splits out into 2,3 or more branches, these patterns were used to create rhythmic subdivisions within the available time for each stem. This creates somewhat odd polyrhythms that are not easily represented by traditional notation. Similarly, the angle of each branch is translated to melodic intervals, creating self-similar motifs on several layers when the process is applied repeatedly. The feedback FM technique heard in the beginning and very end of the piece is based on an experiment in stabilizing the pitch drift one would normally get with frequency modulation feedback with simple oscillators. Allowing the modulation feedback to happen within each sonic particle of a granular process, the pitch is reset for each new grain and thus more feedback modulation can be applied before it destabilizes itself. Regulating grain size, grain pitch, modulation index, and feedback phase delay, one gets a complex nonlinear 4-dimensional parameter space that, as far as I can see is best explored by ear. The underlying mathematics break down under high modulation indices. Both these techniques appear to have this interesting tension between rigid formalism and unruly organic behaviour, and the piece attempts to explore this complex space.

A purely electronic version of the piece was composed during spring 2025, and an opportunity presented itself to render it on the computer controllable pipe organ og the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. The acoustic pipe organ sound complements the natural sonic processes of the L-system, and starving the air pressure of the organ pipes complements the nonlinear behaviour of the feedback FM technique. 

Csound mailing list Csound@listserv.heanet.ie https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND Send bugs reports to https://github.com/csound/csound/issues Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Csound mailing list Csound@listserv.heanet.ie https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND Send bugs reports to https://github.com/csound/csound/issues Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Music release today. 

Partly based on the Granular FM technique that Victor and I wrote about for the last Csound conference. Partly also based on Lsystem rhythmic motive exploration. And in addition to Csound, I doubled some of the stems on the acoustic OSC-controlled pipe organ in Orgelpark/Amsterdam.

https://kropputengrenser.bandcamp.com/track/yvind-brandtsegg-a-gordian-not-spor20

Hope you enjoy

Øyvind

The full description here:

The piece is based on two organic influences: A melodic Lindenmayer system, and a feedback FM technique within granular synthesis. A Lindenmayer system is a formalisation of growth processes in trees and plants, and the branching patterns have here been translated to rhythmic and melodic patterns. When a stem splits out into 2,3 or more branches, these patterns were used to create rhythmic subdivisions within the available time for each stem. This creates somewhat odd polyrhythms that are not easily represented by traditional notation. Similarly, the angle of each branch is translated to melodic intervals, creating self-similar motifs on several layers when the process is applied repeatedly. The feedback FM technique heard in the beginning and very end of the piece is based on an experiment in stabilizing the pitch drift one would normally get with frequency modulation feedback with simple oscillators. Allowing the modulation feedback to happen within each sonic particle of a granular process, the pitch is reset for each new grain and thus more feedback modulation can be applied before it destabilizes itself. Regulating grain size, grain pitch, modulation index, and feedback phase delay, one gets a complex nonlinear 4-dimensional parameter space that, as far as I can see is best explored by ear. The underlying mathematics break down under high modulation indices. Both these techniques appear to have this interesting tension between rigid formalism and unruly organic behaviour, and the piece attempts to explore this complex space.

A purely electronic version of the piece was composed during spring 2025, and an opportunity presented itself to render it on the computer controllable pipe organ og the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. The acoustic pipe organ sound complements the natural sonic processes of the L-system, and starving the air pressure of the organ pipes complements the nonlinear behaviour of the feedback FM technique. 

Csound mailing list Csound@listserv.heanet.ie https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND Send bugs reports to https://github.com/csound/csound/issues Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here