(for Jones/Bulley)

Over 48 hours of user-created audio is uploaded to the internet every minute, a figure that is increasing exponentially. Maelstrom is a sound installation that draws on this material in real time, constructing shifting walls of sound from thousands of audio fragments. By organising these fragments based on their tonal attributes, they collectively form a vast instrument, whose properties are affected by global internet activity. A score composed specifically for this instrument voices an endless series of chord variations, dynamically generated by an array of live processes.

Maelstrom builds a tornado of tonal cluster chords around its spiral speaker system, engulfing the listener in the swirling mass of information that is now an integral part of our day-to-day lives.

Electronics

The design called for 24 channels of amplification, supplied by 24 analogue outputs via DB25 line-level outputs on a soundcard. The outputs needed to be multiplexed so each channel powered 3 separate speakers.

I designed a custom PCB with 3 DB25 connectors, TDA7375V amplifier chips, and a matrix of outputs which could be manually wired to select which output is routed to which speaker. The speakers themselves connected over 8-way Phoenix connectors for ease of wiring and assembly.

The installation ran flawlessly in:

  • South Kiosk, London, UK (25 Feb — 6 March 2022)
  • Science Gallery, Melbourne, AU (13 August — 3 December 2022)
Roles
Electronics

Daniel Jones / James Bulley: software, spatialiser, composition
Ed Borgnis: Production Manager
Simon Hendry: Systems Design
Jo Kaspar, Jake Tyler: Artist assistant to Jones/Bulley
Dave Charlesworth: South Kiosk
Tom Richards

Year

2022