Squaller (2024-curr.)
Squaller is an improvisational performance system comprised of a modular synthesizer featuring several digital modules with custom firmware made with the Electrosmith Daisy embedded computing platform and Cycling ‘74 Gen programming environment. Additionally, an original tabletop effect which is part of this system was created as an export target to a Raspberry Pi 5 with Max/RNBO. Custom-programmed modules include erratic synthesis voices, audio and CV loopers, and idiosyncratic granulators paired with gestural controllers including a high-resolution, multitouch surface for control voltage. Experimental in sound design, Squaller harnesses chaotic oscillators, nonlinear feedback loops, unstable delays, and cross modulation to generate raw, unpredictable sonic textures. It produces an expressive range of timbres, from guttural howls to fierce harmonics, fusing structured synthesis with organic unpredictability.
The Squaller system was initiated in March 2024 and has evolved over the course of several months, expanding to two cases for a total of 188 HP with a mix of digital and analog modules. The documentation here was recorded in July 2024 in a live performance setting as the work was still in development. Supporting multifunction digital modules now include the open-source project Ornament and Crime based on the Teensy 3.2 and Disting NT from Expert Sleepers. Late-breaking additions to this system include a Warbl wind controller used for both MIDI and CV.
A primary goal of this project is to explore the affordances of digital modular synthesis and new possibilities with current workflows in embedded computing for creating custom firmware. It is intended that Squaller will evolve as new versions of custom firmware are authored.