The process of recreating the effects is a creative process. It is a way of interpreting the score given by the composer. In the technical recipe, Lizotte gives an overview of the configurations of the effects, for both Ableton Live and the Line 6. This overview is given in figure 1 below. Here we can see that each track of an effect consists of multiple tools besides the actual effect itself, such as equalizers and a utility tool to further shape and refine the sound.
What's interesting about this overview is that the values given are not one on one translatable into a player's software. This is due to the fact that we are not using an electroacoustic harp, but also due to the use of different equipment, such as soundcard/audio interface, amplification and microphones. It gives a general idea of how Caroline Lizotte's software is built up, but the values of each variable can be vastly different from set-up to set-up. And so, for a large part of this recreation, it is necessary to experiment. Trial and error is required to find the right sounds and come closer to an accurate reproduction.
Most of the recreation was done by comparing sounds. I would use the recording from Lizotte's Album 'Lizotte Joue Lizotte'1 to listen in dept to the kind of sounds she wanted to recreate. This got me started on most of the effects. Some of the other effects were much more complicated to recreate, mostly because of the kind of software programming that is behind it.
I got the chance to get to work with Caroline herself for several months, due to an Erasmus Exchange during the fall term of 2024. During this period, Caroline very kindly lent me her original set-up for the Stellar Sonata for me to practice on. Through this, I got to learn the ins and outs of this set-up. The sounds, the actions required from the player, as well as how the software and hardware behind this function. This was an immensely valuable step in the recreation process.
Reverb
When in search of the sound of Caroline's reverb, I tried out several standard reverb plugins form the Ableton Live program. There is a vast variety in sounds, and each one can be influenced in terms of the amount of reflection, the decay time, diffusion, etc. It proved hard to find the exact sound of Caroline's Reverb, it has this particular iciness that I had not yet been able to find. The other reverbs were suffice but not the same. Caroline had kindly shared her Ableton Live file with me earlier in the process of my research, from which I was able to Copy-Paste the Reverb effect itself from her file into mine. As mentioned before, since I work in the Intro version and not in the Suite version, this is not an option for every building block of any effect, but for the Reverb it worked very well. I did not have to do much adjusting for the sound after. It immediately felt familiar to the sound I had grown used to from working with Caroline's gear. I did adjust something to the tracks later, but that applies more to the Distortion effect.
Flanger
The tricky thing about the Flanger effect is that this effect within the Stellar Sonata originally comes from the Line 6 Bass POD. There are Flangers available in Ableton, a large variety of them, but it is very hard to recreate the sound exactly, because of the nature of this effect. In this effects, so many parameters can be influenced, sound wise and in its periodicality. The sound of Caroline Lizotte's Flanger is very particular, it creates an almost whale-like sound. I found a Flanger in Ableton Live that I personally like, which I adjusted in the settings to have the same periodicality as Lizotte's, but the sound is much more icy than the warm whale sound of the original. On top of this, the algorithm of this effect sometimes bends the notes in way that the composer expressed she did not like so much for this section of the piece.
The effect is there and could certainly be an interpretation of a sort, but I wanted to search a bit further to achieve a sound closer to the original. With the help of Sound Engineer Tomasso Rolff, I found a plug-in that imitates this specific 'Jet flanger of ADA Studio Quiet Flanger' that is available on the Line 6 Bass POD that Caroline Lizotte uses.
The link for this plug-in can be found below:
With this plug-in, a much more accurate sound can be reproduced. Different parameters can be influenced, such as the speed of the flanging and the range at which it does this. Also, how much the sound is enhanced and how much saturation there is in the effect. I adjusted the parameters in such a way that came closest to the original sound. In figure 2 is shown the effect settings as I had them, but this can vary from player to player depending on the equipment they use.
Distortion
The difficulty with the Distortion is that in the second movement of the Sonata, it only appears on the basses of the harp. The middle and high register come through with a clear sound of the Reverb effect. This is possible on the electroacoustic harp, because there are individual pick-ups on every string, and there is the possibility to let each register function individually from the others. Since I amplify an acoustic harp, a problem that I ran into was that when I apply the Distortion effect, it appears on all the registers. Therefore, I had to find a solution.
I tried several different options, for example only putting the effect on one of the mics. Most of these experiments resulted in too much bleeding of the effects into the other register. Then I started to work with equalizers.
With the help of composer Félix Rivest, I applied an equalizer to the effect that cut the middle and high register. It really helped in the accuracy and then, it only appeared on the basses. However, the middle and high did not come through anymore with reverb. I created a second track with a Reverb effect that cuts the basses, just to let the middle and high register come through at the same time as the distortion on the basses. Like this, the result was very close to the sound of the original.
Ping Pong Delay
The challenge for this effect is getting the tempo of the delay right. The effect itself is a standard delay effect from Ableton Live.
It is very important for the recreation of this effect to have the correct project tempo for the Ableton Live file. In the configuration page for the Ableton Live effects (figure 1), it states to use a tempo of 132 BPM (Beats Per Minute). Initially, I tried again to Copy-Paste the effect from Caroline Lizotte's file, which didn't work since this resulted in a delay that was much too slow. The reason for this was because their file was programmed to a different speed. Changing the speed helped, but still I had to find the correct number for the L/R to be on, so I listened to the original recording to match it to a metronome number. Caroline's delay is 66 BPM, which I then matched my delay to in order to achieve the correct delay time.
Furthermore, it is important for this effect how it is activated. For all my effects I work with the Monitor on Auto, the number of the track on, and then I assign a MIDI foot controller to the record button to open or close the effect. This means that when the track is closed, it doesn't let through any sound, but it also doesn't pick-up any. For the Ping-Pong delay, this needs to be 'listening' already in the background before the track is activated, so that it takes sound that was already played before activation and adds this to the mix as well. This is important especially the first time that the effect appears, in measure 46, which is the end of the Delay/Loop, because it needs to blur and create some feedback on the sound that was already there while no new material is played. And it's also convenient at the end of the piece in case the player misses the hit of the button at the exact right time, the effect will still have picked up what was previously played and modify it in the effect. To achieve this, one must have the Monitor on On, and use the number of the track, which will now appear in blue instead of orange like the other tracks, to activate and deactivate this effect.
An example of how the configurations of the effects are not one on one translatable, is the fact that even though I was technically able to Copy-Paste this effect from Caroline's file, it did not give the desired speed or sound immediately. Besides having to work with a metronome to achieve the correct tempo, I also changed the amount of feedback and dry-wetness of this effect. It was too dry before, so I put up the percentage and I needed more feedback than she did that so upped that level too.
Space Echo
For the Space Echo I used the Valhalla Delay plugin. This plugin was recommended to me by Max Frimout to solve the question of the Analog Delay, but luckily it also has options for the Space Echo sound.
For this effect you need to hear these short staccato 16-notes just after playing a note, with a low amount of feedback. I created this with the plugin by setting the delay time to a specific note, 1/16, and influencing the amount of feedback to make sure we didn't hear it for too long. The sound of Lizotte's Space cho is sort of dry while still remaining that spacey reverb. To match this sound, I added some wow and flutter which gave desirable results in the sound outcome and matches the idea that Caroline Lizotte has for this effect.
Analog Delay
The trickiest of the effects to recreate has been the Analog Delay. This effect comes from the Line 6 in the original set-up. It is an Analog Delay, which originally means it takes a small piece of sound information or tape and places this the sound in loop until the feedback dies out. Because of this, the sound is very particular and difficult to recreate exactly when using electronic equipment as a replacement. I had to search for plug-ins that immitate an Analog Delay, since Ableton Live itself did not provide Delay effects that behave like this.
Valhalla delay is a plug-in for which a license can be bought. This plug-in has various sounds and effects that imitate the retro versions of analog hardware. Valhalla is a company that over the past 20 years has been developing various plugins and sound effects. For all their plug-ins, a license can be bought for the consumer to fairly use their sounds in a DAW. The Valhalla delay cost 50 USD. This plug-in did not only allow me to solve the problem of the Analog Delay, but also the Space Echo.
The plug-in can be found and bought by using the following link: https://valhalladsp.com/shop/delay/valhalladelay/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqfe8BhBwEiwAsne6gUKw9RWedojAz1YBoUd5_UmGsjofPLu7mKyMNxPQEyJ0e5_MKGS4ABoC_f4QAvD_BwE
The project tempo needs to be at 132 BPM, for the Ping Pong Delay. At this tempo the Delay time of the Analog Delay is 780 milli-seconds to match the right BPM of 76. I tested this by playing the entrance of the delay/loop and letting it play with a metronome to see if it went out of sync. I did this until I found the exact number that matched the metronome.
The entrance of the delay/loop was already tricky to recreate, but another challenge appeared for the ending of it. Here, the delay time needs to be tweaked and influenced by the player, which normally happens on the Line 6. I assigned a volume button of a MIDI controller to the Delay time of the Valhalla Delay plugin. I used the Nano Kontrol 2 by Korg for this, but any MIDI controller with a volume button will work. Now, we could carefully influence the delay time outside of the computer, creating more precision and it even matches the original set-up where the audience can see the player interact with the electronics.
In my first version and attempt, the re-entering of the Analog Delay in bar 43 works well but turning on the Ping Pong Delay Effect in bar 46 doesn't seem to add much, when in the original this resulted in blurring of the sound and growing feedback. Tweaking and influencing the Delay time works because of the MIDI-assigned volume button, but the sound is significantly different from the original. The original sounds sharp and high-pitched, whereas my interpretation sounds more like a DJ changing vinyl.
With some feedback from the composer, I went back to experimenting. It turns out the high ringing pitch is possible to create with this plug-in, but I needed to change some settings and practice with the precision of the Delay time. First, I gave the settings more Drive and Feedback, which gradually increases the feedbacking over the course of the loop. This results in the Ping Pong Delay interacting more with the building feedback of the loop when it is turned on. Besides, it turned out that a very specific turning of the MIDI-assigned knob is required for the high-ringing pitch to appear. The value of the Delay time needs to be closer to 0 ms, but not too far otherwise the sound of the loop with stop entirely. Then one must wait for the feedback to kick in, which takes a little bit longer than with the Line 6, due to the algorithm of this software. After that when the Delay time is very gently lowered, this same swooshing sound from the original recording kicks in, before taking out the sound and simultaneously restarting the Space Echo. The settings for this second version can be seen in figure 5.
It takes more time than in the original before the feedbacking starts. I therefore wanted to keep searching for one last version to improve this. Using a different algorithm of the plug-in, by changing it from 'Past' to 'Present', helped with the amount of time it took for the high-pitched feedbacking to start. It needed some adjusting to keep a similar sound, mostly in lowering the Drive and Feedback setting, since they were now too aggressive with the new algorithm. Furthermore, after some practicing with the equipment this also shortened the time it took to get to the right Delay time. It's still tricky to get exactly to the right Delay time in a short amount of time. I think further experimentation with different MIDI Controllers can help to improve this. In Figure 6 are shown the settings for this third version.
The results of these three attempts will be discussed in the next page, Result Comparison.
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