I did my first paper presentation at an academic conference last year - Australian Computer Music Conference - full proceedings here, my contribution titled Analog Algorithms: Generative Composition in Modular Synthesis is here.

Abstract:

The contemporary re-emergence of modular synthesisers as a popular tool for music making rejects much of the conveniences afforded by advancements in music technology in the past 40 years, an idea that challenges our understanding of the relationship of electronic music composers to technology. Given the dominance of the computer in music making since the early 1990s there is a temptation to situate the modular synthesiser in opposition, focusing upon the modular instrument's tangible interface and a general shift away from the ubiquitous computer as primary drivers for the return to modular synthesis (Paradiso 2017). I argue that generative compositional approaches, specific to modular synthesisers, are another factor that should be considered in relation to this re-emergence. The modular synthesis paradigm foregrounds generative compositional processes designed not only to create sound, but to generate musical events and control signals. Many module designs carry a legacy of generative processes that can be traced back to the earliest commercial synthesisers. These generative approaches exhibit attributes that are intrinsically distinguishable from those developed in the field of computer music.