Steles d'Air - Revision2014 Stèles d'air Jérôme Combier

The setup and the execution of the electroacoustic part of this work requires a Computer Music Designer (Max expert).

Table of contents

Performance date: Feb. 23, 2014 - First performance

Documentation date: March 10, 2014

Version state

Valid

Validation date: May 3, 2018



Executions dates of this version

  • Feb. 23, 2014,

Version documentalist

  • meier (Robin.Meier@ircam.fr)

Version realisation

  • Robin Meier (Computer Music Designer)
  • Sébastien Naves (Sound engineer)
  • Jérôme Combier (Composer)
  • Benoit Meudic (Computer Music Designer)

Version length

20 mn

Upgrade Motivation

new version of Stèles d'Air - new score, new patch, new sounds... jérôme combier and robin meier

Detailed staff

  • flute (also piccolo, alto flute, bass flute [ad lib.] ), oboe (also English horn), clarinet (also bass clarinet), bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, 2 percussionists, guitar, harp, piano [préparé] , violin, second violin, 2 violas, 2 cellos, double bass
(Detailed staff comes from Brahms, send mail to brahms-contenu@ircam.fr for correction.)

Electronic equipment list

Computer Music Equipment

  • 1 MacBook Pro - Apple Laptops (Apple)
    2.4 Ghz
  • 1 iPad - Tablets (Apple)
    use Lemur app
  • 1 Mac OS - OS (Apple)
    10.6
  • 1 Live - Music Software (Ableton)
    version 9 (only for the simulation)
  • 1 Max 6 - Max (Cycling74)
  • 1 Ircam Spat - Library (Ircam)
    version 4.6
  • 1 ejies - Library (e--j)
  • 1 lemur - Controller (liine)
  • 1 Fireface 800 - Sound Board (RME)
    14 ins, 6 outs
  • 1 BCF 2000 - MIDI Mixer (Behringer)
    or ipad
  • 1 Footswitch / Sustain Pedal - Footswitch / Sustain Pedal
    to trigger the events

Audio Equipment

  • 6 Loudspeaker - Loudspeakers
  • 1 DM2000 - Digital Mixers (Yamaha)
    or equivalent
  • 1 Reverberation Processor - Reverberation
    of high quality

Premiere

  • Oct. 26, 2007, Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, Festival d'Automne

Publisher:

  • Lemoine

Realisation

  • Benoît Meudic

Work length

  • 20 mn
Download all files
File Author(s) Comment
Download [3.4 GB] Patch CombierStelesDAir.dmg Robin Meier contains all the elements (patch, sounds, sessions, ...) required to perform the piece in an uncompressed image
Download [71.6 KB] Setup dm2000 setup Sebastien Naves pdf showing inputs and outputs for dm2000 console. also constains list of all microphones used
Download [1.2 MB] Other ejies library Emmanuel Jourdan
Download [61.9 KB] Technical rider tech rider sound engineer Sebastien Naves technical rider for sound engineer only. not including materials for electronics.
Download [103.7 MB] Other ircam Spat Thibaut Carpentier v 4.6.9
Download [1.7 GB] Patch jerome steles dair.zip Robin Meier contains all the elements (patch, sounds, sessions, ...) required to perform the piece in a zip file
Download [1.1 MB] Document screenshots of cuelists.zip Robin Meier cuelist screenshots (for the curious)
Download [3.4 GB] Simulation files steles-d'air-simulation-generaleRF Project.zip Robin Meier mutlitrack recording (Ableton Live session) of the instruments, done during th dress rehearsal (Radio France 2014/2/23)
Download [32.0 KB] Document pedal strokes location of the pedal strokes in the score

Instructions

Description of the piece:

"Stèle d'air" is a piece composed by Jérôme Combier for 20 instruments and live electronics. It was premiered in Centre George Pompidou in October 2007 (ensemble intercontemporain, direction Susanna Malki, computer music design Benoit Meudic).

In 2013/14, Jerome Combier wrote a new version of the same piece, premiered during Presences Festival at Radio France in February 2014. The "computer music" was "designed" by Robin Meier.

It is divided in seven parts.

Elements needed to play the piece:

  • 1 computer with max 6 and Live 9 (we have used an intel MacBookPro 2.4Ghz),
  • 14 ins/ 6 outs audio interface (we have used a fireface 800)
  • microphones for each instrument
  • mixing console (we have used a DM2000)
  • 6 points full band diffusion system.
  • 1 reverb
  • usb midi mixer or iPad (Lemur app).
  • 1 midi pedal for triggering electronic events


    • Loudspeaker setup

     

    1 2

    3 4

    5 6

     

    Audio inputs

     

    ADC are respectively :

    1. flute
    2. oboe
    3. clarinette
    4. brass mix
    5. perc1
    6. perc2
    7. cymbal
    8. guitar
    9. harp
    10. piano
    11. violin
    12. viola
    13. cello
    14. bass

    max dsp settings

    • iovs 128
    • vs 128
    • overdrive ON
    • scheduler in audio interrupt OFF
    • Sampling Rate 44.1 kHz

    computer keyboard shortcuts

    esc: reset

    x: matrix

    e: events (lists)

    r: mixeR

    p: pedale

    s: bonus


    software installation

    install the ejies library

    set Max File preferences to point to the "PATCHE_Robin" folder

     

    checklist:

    • - open _events-pedal.maxpat
    • - open _mainpatch-Steles-dair-pedale.maxpat
      • besides a few warnings you should have no errors in the max window
    • - choose midi-input in patcher midi-in (pedal, midi-mixer)
    • - turn on dac
    • - activate pedale
    • - reset / init
    • - choose "1-event" in the event menu of the ro.events subpatch

     

    The midi channel assignation for midi-mixer is set in the bpatchers arguments of the "mixer" subpatch. The first argument corresponds to the midi channel receiving the external controller canal midi, the second argument is the midi channel to send the audio level in db (0-127 range).

     

    Footswitch pedal assignation is set in the patcher "pedal"

     

    simulation

     

    A mulit track recording of the piece is in the folder "steles-d'air-simulation project". It can be use to test the patch before reharsals.


    more ...

    see enclosed documents and patch for further instructions!

     



    © IRCAM Creative Commons License
    This documentation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


    Program note

    _Stèles d'air_ sera le prolongement de _Vies silencieuses_ à plusieurs égards. Dans la mesure où elle empruntera semblables matières (les harmonies, les échelles de hauteurs, les tempi, les proportions...) et où elle en sera l'extension orchestrale autant que l'érosion. Le titre de « stèles d'air » vient d'un texte que Philippe Jaccottet a écrit sur l'œuvre de Giorgio Morandi et plus précisément sur ses dernières aquarelles qui datent des années 1963-1964\. A propos de ces peintures qui ne sont plus, semble-t-il, que l'ébauche du visible – là, une tâche qui rappelle une bouteille, là un seul trait qui dessine, dans le vide qui l'entoure une forme par omission – l'écrivain parle « d'assomption des choses qui culminerait dans leur presque disparition (...), des stèles d'air qu'un roi sans royaume aurait fait dresser à des confins sans nom, à l'ultime bord du monde visible... ». L'électronique aura cette fonction là : elle érodera le sonore porté par les instruments, diluera harmonies et échelles dans des saturations douces, des sons chargés de bruit — elle aura avant tout fonction orchestrale.

    Jérôme Combier

    Version documentation creation date: March 10, 2014, 7:51 a.m., update date: May 6, 2021, 3:09 p.m.