Still contemplating on my idea of starting the ALEA series. Perhaps I should just embed this idea into my Katachi IV, which will be a commission for saxophone and live electronics. It might be hard to justify having the live electronics completely aleatoric, but I'm sure that makes it very comfortable for the performer. The patch would be very easy to make basing on all these templates that I have developed lately. I just need to map out the range of the effects and their relative amplitudes to the raw input level.

I have also been toying with this idea of compiling my patches into applications and make them available for download. Max/MSP, however, did not like this idea and crashed my laptop, so that I could NEVER use the program again... There, perhaps, is a better way to do it. But isn't it awesome that others can make cool sounds with my patches?

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Non-electronically, I am working on a commission for flute, cello, bass trombone and percussion , very slowly. Originally intended as a collection of five pieces, I might cut some and just make each one longer.

I have been quite busy, not composing, but patching with Max/MSP, just exploring different ways to route my signals and building instruments/effect modules. The results are couple patches that I can well use in the future, and I also generated a fixed media piece (Stargaze) with them.

I am expecting to write one new fixed media and two new interactive electroacoustic pieces with these patches. I will continue the Katachi series, and start a new series called ALEA.

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And, having come back from the UAHuntsville New Music Festival this weekend, I feel fresh and inspired. It was a nice event with seven concerts and over 40 guest composers. Duo for Two Flutists (2008) was performed.

There was this classic music technology panic tonight at the performance of my Awakening for trombone and live electronics (2010). Well, first of all, the freeverb~ object was not recognized at all. Then, there was this long sustained tone that wasn't supposed to be there. I was so glad that after two cues of events, it cut off... but nonetheless, I don't think anyone noticed, and that sustained tone actually fit the context. I was so afraid that it wouldn't cut off - in that case, I would have to "X" kill it... Anyways, it was a great concert, with the great trombonist - Kevin Fairbairn!

Having been so inspired, I just finished an electroacoustic piece: Katachi I for fixed media (2011). I have been processing these sounds, and now I finally get to use them! Guess what sounds I used? (Program notes will be posted soon!)