At the outset of my master's program, I had already envisioned key characteristics for my ensemble. I drafted an initial plan outlining possible instrumentation and immediately encountered several challenges. The foremost requirement of my project is that it should be a large ensemble. As a composer, I am drawn to the expansive possibilities that a larger instrumentation offers in terms of harmony, dynamics, textures, and timbrical variety. However, integrating the oscilloscope into this setting presents significant challenges. As clearly seen before, the oscilloscope does not efficiently process multiple simultaneous inputs, particularly from acoustic instruments, without becoming overloaded. This necessitates a series of compromises and careful planning to balance the musical and visual elements effectively. Another defining feature of the ensemble is the inclusion of uncommon instruments, particularly those from early music traditions and non-Western traditions. While this choice expands the ensemble’s sonic palette, it also introduces practical challenges. Firstly, musicians specializing in these instruments often operate within a different musical framework from jazz, requiring an approach that bridges distinct stylistic languages. Secondly, these instruments are more difficult to source, as fewer performers specialize in them. Lastly, their rarity means that available pedagogical resources and documentation are limited, making it more challenging to integrate them seamlessly during the orchestration.

Several additional considerations guided my instrumentation choices. Instruments needed to be compatible with the oscilloscope, requiring extensive testing and experimentation. A balance between electronic and acoustic elements was essential, both as an artistic decision and as a practical necessity, given that electronic instruments offer greater control within this context. Finally, a solid and fully developed rhythm section remained a priority, as my music retains strong influences from Black American musical traditions, particularly in its use of pulse and groove. After considering the prerequisites and challenges outlined above, I devised the following instrumentation. For the rhythm section, I wanted a traditional, solid backbone for the ensemble and I selected drums, electric bass, piano, guitar, and vibraphone. The wind section comprised bass clarinet, trombone, saxophone, duduk (tentatively), recorder, and bassoon. Additionally, I sought to introduce timbral diversity through early string instruments, specifically the theorbo and lirone, alongside a female jazz vocalist. This initial lineup was conceptualized over a year ago.

In this crossover genre, which bridges Black American and European musical traditions, instrumentation alone is not sufficient—specific musicians play an even more crucial role, particularly within the rhythm section. At the time, I explored possibilities both within and beyond my immediate circle, identifying preferred musicians for each role and inquiring about their availability. However, I soon encountered a significant challenge: many of the musicians I had envisioned were unavailable. This led not only to the difficulty of finding suitable replacements but also to the realization that some instruments were nearly impossible to source. The lirone (Fig. 31), for instance, is an exceptional instrument primarily used in Italy during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly in the music of Claudio Monteverdi, where it provided continuo accompaniment for vocal works1. It remains rare even within the field of early music, particularly in the Netherlands, where I am located. Despite extensive efforts, I was unable to locate a player and initially attempted to substitute it with two viole da gamba, but without success, as no available musicians could be found within or outside the conservatory. A similar challenge arose with the duduk (Fig. 32); although interested players were enthusiastic about the project, they were temporarily abroad for studies.

Given these obstacles, I made the decision to delay assembling the ensemble until at least some of these uncommon instruments could be secured. This experience serves as a valuable insight for composers and bandleaders: the search for specialized instruments and musicians can be a prolonged and challenging process, but persistence often yields results. After a year of continued research, I successfully located both a lirone and a duduk. However, I ultimately made adjustments to the ensemble’s instrumentation, removing voice and guitar while adding an additional keyboardist to play Rhodes and synthesizers. For practical reasons, the lirone will be interchangeable with two viole da gamba, as the availability of the player remains limited. Additionally, the duduk player I found is a highly versatile multi-instrumentalist, proficient in saxophone, clarinet, and ney (Figure 33), which further expands the ensemble’s timbral possibilities. At present, the ensemble comprises 12 musicians, including myself. In addition to composing, my role will vary depending on the piece, encompassing responsibilities such as controlling the visuals, managing effects, or conducting. On occasion, I may also perform on trumpet or flugelhorn; however, I intend to carefully manage my workload on stage to ensure it remains minimal and does not compromise the overall performance.

As outlined throughout this research, working with acoustic instruments in conjunction with the oscilloscope requires extensive testing before the actual writing process can begin. During my master’s course, I explored the oscilloscope’s response to various instruments, conducting both spontaneous and planned experiments with musicians who generously contributed their time to this research. Video 38a and b documents my first collaborative test with two trombonists from the conservatory. Enthusiastic about the concept, they engaged eagerly in the experiment and were ultimately astonished by the visual outcomes. Through these and subsequent sessions with different musicians and instruments, I gathered valuable insights and developed what I consider the initial stages of an intuitive understanding of this medium—an essential step toward refining my compositional approach and achieving a more fluid creative workflow with the oscilloscope. Simultaneously, I compiled a collection of instrument samples to serve as references and compositional inputs. Beyond the technical aspects, these experiments provided substantial artistic inspiration, as I observed musicians spontaneously “drawing” shapes with their instruments. The raw sonic material generated in these sessions became a rich source of ideas—essential ingredients that I can refine and incorporate into my compositions. Thus, these tests proved invaluable both in expanding my technical knowledge and in fueling my creative process.

This section serves as documentation of the compositional process for my final presentation in the Master’s program in Jazz Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. As the performance is scheduled to take place several months after the writing of this research, it is important to acknowledge that the project remains a work in progress. Nevertheless, this concert provides the most comprehensive and contextually relevant example of my research in practice, marking my first multimedia performance integrating the oscilloscope with an electroacoustic ensemble. This opening section outlines the overall plan for the performance, including the conceptual framework for each piece. The concert is expected to have a duration between 30 and 45 minutes, aiming to highlight the primary characteristics and techniques I have developed in relation to the oscilloscope. The initial plan consists of four extended compositions, each lasting between five and ten minutes, interspersed with three shorter interludes or miniatures of approximately two to three minutes. These miniatures serve as connective elements between the main pieces. However, I intend to keep this structure flexible, allowing space for creative exploration—some ideas may naturally require more or less time than initially anticipated. The four central compositions will be audiovisual works making extensive use of the oscilloscope, while the interludes will focus solely on sound.

The structure of the concert emerges from fundamental questions posed throughout this research. The first and most significant consideration pertains to audience perception. Throughout the planning process, I have attempted to envision the experience from the perspective of a listener, reflecting on what would be engaging, immersive, or potentially overwhelming. In the context of this project, I seek to establish a balance between sonic and visual elements, avoiding monotony while maintaining clarity of artistic intent. Clarity, in this case, is closely linked to parsimony—given the oscilloscope’s capabilities, there is a natural temptation to overload the sensory experience. To counter this, I have made compositional choices based on principles of coexistence and hierarchy between media, as explored in crossmodal composition theory and articulated by Yiannis Kyriakides (see 8. Multimedia Art). The concert is situated within a conservatory setting, where the audience will primarily consist of musicians and music enthusiasts. Their natural inclination will be to focus on auditory stimuli, which poses a potential risk: the visuals could either become a distraction, drawing attention away from the music, or be perceived as an arbitrary addition. To address this challenge, my approach will be to carefully integrate sound and image in a way that is deliberate yet unobtrusive, avoiding overstimulation. In later sections, I will outline specific strategies to achieve this integration.

Regarding the structural design of the concert, each composition is intended to showcase a distinct technique or conceptual approach. This framework ensures that every idea is presented with clarity and avoids the pitfall of initial fascination giving way to monotony or ambiguity. A well-defined structure enhances perceptual coherence and processing fluency (see paragraph 9.4), guiding the audience’s engagement by managing the flow and complexity of information. Furthermore, I will deliberately manipulate contrasts in scale—juxtaposing large and small, loud and soft—to create dynamic shifts in perception. Maintaining equilibrium between auditory and visual elements remains a key objective. In most instances, I will adhere to a one-to-one correspondence between sound and image, reinforcing a sense of concreteness in which both media function as a singular, almost tangible entity. With these principles in mind, I have selected four distinct conceptual approaches for the compositions in the final presentation. Each piece will highlight a specific sonic characteristic as visualized through the oscilloscope, ensuring a structured and multifaceted exploration of the medium’s potential.

The first piece will focus on harmony, examining how chords and harmonic structures manifest as visual patterns on the oscilloscope. This exploration will provide insight into the relationship between harmonic motion and geometric representation, revealing the underlying mathematical symmetry of musical intervals and chordal progressions. The second piece will center on timbre, emphasizing the unique spectral qualities of specific instruments. By isolating and analyzing the harmonic content and overtone structures of different instrumental sounds, this piece will showcase how timbral variations influence visual forms, drawing attention to the intricate textures that define each instrument’s sonic identity. The third piece will explore amplitude and rhythmic/percussive elements, highlighting how dynamic changes and articulation impact the oscilloscope’s visual output. By utilizing instruments with strong percussive attacks and varying dynamic intensities, this composition will investigate the interplay between transient sounds and their corresponding visual shapes, emphasizing the relationship between rhythm, energy, and motion. The final piece will incorporate the "downsample" technique (see 11. Max-MSP and video 31), applying controlled digital processing to reduce the resolution of the oscilloscope’s visual rendering. Additionally, this piece will explore mathematically faithful representations of polygons through musical input, demonstrating how specific sonic frequencies and rhythmic patterns can generate precise geometric figures. This approach will merge principles of acoustics and mathematics, reinforcing the conceptual bridge between sound, image, and numerical relationships. By structuring the performance around these four key ideas, I aim to present a comprehensive and engaging demonstration of the oscilloscope’s artistic potential while maintaining clarity, balance, and perceptual coherence throughout the concert.

The location of a concert, when known in advance, plays a central role in shaping the performance. It is part of the broader context, with its dimensions, style, and technical features providing essential information for the composer. The concert will take place in the Conservatoriumzaal (Figure 34), a venue whose architectural and technical characteristics influence the artistic choices. With a flat theater floor and retractable seating for 400, it allows flexible set-ups and adjustable acoustics, accommodating everything from solo recitals to complex speaker systems. Its high-quality audiovisual installation and advanced lighting make it ideal for this project. The hall’s large projector and high-powered beamer will ensure a clear oscilloscope display, while adjustable lighting can enhance the atmosphere. However, tests are needed to prevent interference with projections. To create a more intimate setting and match the expected audience size, I plan to retract the seats, allowing the first rows to sit on cushions. On stage, the musicians will be arranged in a semicircle, with the rhythm section centrally positioned. Instead of a traditional stereo sound system, I aim for an alternative setup where each musician has a dedicated speaker behind them. This approach will preserve the ensemble’s natural spatial distribution, enhancing the perception of instrumental placement and creating a more immersive sonic experience.

The first example shown in the video is from a previous concert—my very first attempt at integrating acoustic instruments with an oscilloscope. I present it here for two reasons: first, it is a completed piece that has been tested and successfully performed; second, it provided valuable insights, though I will reserve most reflections for the conclusion. The instrumentation consists of voice, bass clarinet, two trombones, two sine waves, and two oscilloscopes. The instruments are paired as follows: voice with bass clarinet and the two trombones, with each pair assigned to an oscilloscope and a sine wave (figure 38). The sound is processed in Max MSP, generating visuals projected onto a screen or surface in front of the ensemble and audience. The performers interact with the oscilloscope, much like painters using their instruments as brushes to shape images through sound (figure 39). A major challenge was the venue’s lack of a projector screen and the presence of windows behind the stage, which required black-out curtains. Since I could not project onto them, I adapted by using the hall’s white sound-absorbing curtains, employing projection mapping to display the oscilloscope visuals, as seen in the video.

The composition method for this piece was straightforward yet intuitive. To gather material, I invited musicians for individual or paired improvisation sessions, providing occasional guidance but mostly allowing free exploration while recording everything. By the end, I had hours of footage, from which I extracted and cataloged intriguing moments with brief descriptions (Figure 35). Using these selections, I constructed a timeline (Figure 36) and proceeded to compose with a collage-like approach, refining transitions and shaping the structure based on contrast. This contrast is evident in both sound and visuals, particularly in the juxtaposition of sparse and dense textures. For example, I opposed clean timbres to "cracked tones" from the brass or the multiphonics of the bass clarinet. Since acoustic instruments produced irregular oscilloscope shapes, I introduced sine waves to heighten the contrast between pure tones and harmonic complexity. This contrast naturally led to a core concept of the piece: assigning instruments roles analogous to carrier and modulator functions in FM and AM synthesis. Although these synthesis techniques are not explicitly used, the principle is applied acoustically—sine waves or instruments with fewer harmonics act as stable carriers, while the more complex sounds of other instruments serve as modulators, altering the resulting shape (figure 37). This approach proved effective in multiple ways: it engaged performers, offering room for interpretation within structured improvisation, and it enhanced the audiovisual experience for the audience, making the interaction between sounds visibly tangible. The piece thus became an exploration of sonic contrast, dynamic interplay, and the real-time visualization of acoustic phenomena.

The next piece, set to be performed at my Master's final presentation, revolves around the "downsample" technique (see paragraph 17.2), which generates polygons by reducing the sampling rate of the jit.catch object, converting audio signals into visual coordinates. Initially, I experimented with this technique without fully understanding its mechanics—lowering the sampling rate until recognizable shapes appeared, then manipulating them through detuning, phase shifting, and other techniques (video 39). When I began composing with this method, I first set the downsampling to a "root note" (forming a single point on the screen) and identified other frequencies that created perfect shapes—lines, triangles, squares, pentagons, etc.—compiling a list of usable notes. My idea was to subdivide bars based on the number of angles in each shape, maintaining a constant bar length but varying the meter. Uniquely, in this approach, the oscilloscope doesn't merely react to the music—the visuals function as a live score, guiding the musicians. However, a fundamental question arose: Why do specific frequencies generate specific shapes?

The breakthrough came when I realized that the downsample value dictates how many samples are skipped before retrieving a new signal value—a kind of sample-and-hold function applied at audio rate. By dividing the audio sampling rate (e.g., 44,100 Hz) by the "root note" frequency (e.g., A at 440 Hz), I obtained a rounded downsampling value (100 in this case). This means the oscilloscope plots the signal’s position 440 times per second, directly linking just intonation ratios to polygonal shapes (video 40). Similar to the harmonic series (paragraph 10.2), but using subharmonics, the ratio 5:2 (multiplying the frequency by 5 and dividing by 2) corresponds to a 10th interval upwards, while its inverse (2:5) represents the same interval downwards—both generating a {5:2} star polygon on the screen. This discovery aligned the technique with my principle of ensuring a faithful relationship between sound and visuals. An alternative approach emerged: instead of structuring bars by polygon angles, I could retain a 4/4 meter and match note durations to the respective polygon’s angles.

To develop musical material, I collected the notes that generated each polygon and rounded them to the nearest tempered pitch (figure 39). By ordering the notes the result was an E minor natural scale forming the basis for arpeggios layered over the bass notes. The arpeggios were created by dividing the scale almost evenly, and starting from B instead of E and raising the D to D# (obtaining the so called Phrygian Dominant scale, figure 40) to introduce more harmonic interest between arpeggios and bass notes. Video 41 and figure 41 illustrate this process. An important aspect of my music is the narrative. Often I try to symbolize a story, a picture or a principle with notes. The sinister character of the harmony, the poligonal shapes and the strict, systematic playing created the scene of a misterious and dark ritual in my head, where the musicians are adept taking part in a "rhythm sect" (obvious pun with rhythm section). Eventually, I combined these musical cells into a structured chorus. The resulting material is musically compelling even without visuals, yet it was entirely shaped by the oscilloscope (video 42). The other approach—subdividing bars according to interval ratios (figure 42)—was also developed using arpeggios, but here the harmony emerged from filling chords between the root, the lower interval of the shape, and its specular upper counterpart. Additionally, I explored rhythmic clashes between the bass and arpeggio top notes (video 43). A crucial part of this development was integrating Max within Ableton, using MIDI and automation to control the parameters. Though I won't delve into technical details, Ableton proved essential to my creative workflow, allowing precise control and implementation.

When exploring harmony through the oscilloscope, I quickly encountered a fundamental choice: just intonation or equal temperament? I initially opted for equal temperament for several reasons. First, I wanted the flexibility to modulate freely rather than being confined to a specific key. Second, in just intonation, the shapes remain static—a compelling effect at first but one that lacks dynamic movement over time. Finally, equal temperament is far more practical, sparing me significant technical challenges. To generate ideas, I began improvising with sine waves on a keyboard, responding visually to the oscilloscope’s shapes. It became clear that certain intervals, such as fifths and fourths, were highly consonant and closely resembled just intonation, whereas others, like minor thirds, deviated noticeably. Building on this, I experimented with a fifth in my left hand, modulated by other intervals (video 44). The major third, however, struck a balance—introducing a mild yet pleasing interference that added texture without becoming overly dissonant, especially when using slow attack and release times created a smooth, evolving visual effect. However, another crucial factor emerged: phase shifting. Altering phase values drastically transformed the shapes, often making familiar intervals unrecognizable. This aspect introduced an additional layer of complexity—one I remained conscious of but left open for further exploration and decision-making.

Another intriguing result from my improvisation was the gradual transformation of a sine wave into a square wave. This can be done using a filter, but a synthesizer with direct waveform morphing capabilities provides greater control and avoids unexpected artifacts, such as loud resonances. The Wavetable synth in Ableton proved to be the perfect candidate for this task (video 45). After experimenting with different settings to maintain visually appealing shapes, I decided to use this material as an introduction for the piece. Following this, I searched for a harmonic progression that balanced clarity and complexity—avoiding excessive visual chaos while still being musically engaging. Three-note chords emerged as the most effective, whether as simple triads or extended chords with omitted notes. I also discovered that using inversions created fresh harmonic colors while maintaining strong visual coherence. As I developed the harmonic cycle further, I encountered significant limitations with equal temperament. While initially my preferred choice for its practicality, I found moments where it felt unsatisfying. I experimented with different tuning systems available in Ableton, but each had trade-offs—improving one chord or interval while compromising another. This left me at an impasse, reinforcing the complexity of finding a tuning system that fully aligns with both the musical and visual dimensions of the piece.