Clear Skies on a Hill Recording Released
26 Apr '25
Today we’re releasing Clear Skies on a Hill, a live recording by Yichen Wang and me from a September 2024 performance in Canberra.
Recorded live, 28 September 2024 in Canberra in a garage on top of a hill.
The Performance
This release documents our recent performances in Canberra’s underground and DIY music scene. It was unique, immediate, and a bit unpredictable in a DIY venue set up in Canberra’s backyards. The energy across the piece felt particularly live and dynamic, with a strong final section that made it clear this recording was worth sharing.
The performance combines two research threads from the ANU SMCClab: Yichen’s work on augmented reality music-making and my own work on generative AI instruments using the IMPSY platform. Together they make an interesting pairing: one instrument operating in a visually augmented physical space, the other driven by a generative AI model responding in real time.
Credits
- Yichen Wang — Augmented Reality Cube Synthesiser
- Charles Martin — Generative AI MicroFreak Synthesiser
Yichen’s Cube Synthesiser uses free-hand interaction via augmented reality lets her sculpt and shape sound by moving through virtual cubes overlaid on physical space. My MicroFreak was driven by the IMPSY generative AI system, which shapes music parameters in real time even when I step back from the controller.
This release documents an evolving artistic practice that sits at the intersection of augmented reality, generative AI, and live improvisation.
Images
