NICOLAS BERNIER : COURANT.AIR (2008-10) For folk acoustic gu itar , quadraphon ic tape and l ive electron ics

1. bourrasques électriques 2. déplacement des particules 2. soubresauts 4. petit port bien abrité 5. air.chanson.usure 6. menace, incertitude, le temps se (dé)couvre 7. propulsion 8. érosion (jusqu’à plus oultre)

© Nicolas Bernier, 2010 Original paper size : 11x17

N I CO LAS BERN I ER : CO U RAN T.AI R

THE SCORE

Although this score exists, it is only a guide. For me, the real score – the best one – will always be the final recording. But. Even with the score and the recording, there is still some room for improvisation on the live parts. It is important for me that the performers memorize the work and play with live performance energy, free from the constraint of reading a score in front of an audience.

THE TIMELINE

1 :14

/21

Large numbers indicate the timing in minutes of a movement.

Smaller numbers preceded by a colon indicate an event occurring at this time.

Smaller numbers preceded by a slash indicates the end of a movement (according to the duration of the final stereo recording).

THE GUITAR TUNING : D G D G G D

This tuning is used for all the movements of the piece.

THE LIVE ELECTRONICS

The tape and the real-time processing is done with Ableton Live 8.1.3 using elements of Max/Msp for Live. The live electronics score is intentionally ultra-simple and uses basic techniques so it can be played on any kind of platform.

3 symbols are used in the score to specify actions in the live electronic score:

physical manipulation (trigger, microphone manipulation, keyboard, object playing, etc. )

loops generated in real-time

effects (mostly applied to the guitar)

N I CO LAS BERN I ER : CO U RAN T.AI R

THE SOFTWARE

This guide gives a sense of the original settings. One can use whatever software he choose to. The routings are basics and can be transpose to any sequencing software.

Software Routings

• 2 mono track with preamps are allocated for the live instruments 3 FX : pitcshift, distortion and another. Reverb is an auxiliary

• 2 stereo tracks are allocated to the tape (front and back)

• 2 mono tracks are allocated to live processing (recording/looping/fx)

• 2 stereo auxiliaries are allocated to reverb (front and back)

• 1 stereo auxiliary is allocated to the musicians’ headphone mix

THE CONTROLLER

O R I G I N A L C O N T R O L L E R

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Stop

Next cue (mov.)

Prev. cue (mov.)

Play

On-Off On-Off

GUIT

Low Picth

MIC

GU

IT V

OL

UM

E

TAPE

Notch Filters

TRIG

Verb Repeat grid

PROCESSING Front Back

Verb Verb

Rec Rec

Trig Trig

Repeat

Freeze

High Picth

GU

IT D

IST

O D

RY

/WE

T

Repeat on-off

MIC

VO

LU

ME

Verb

Verb