All the recordings are arrangements and performances are completed in house
by Stephen Gislason. Scores are developed in multitrack MIDI using Cakewalk
Sonar software The main sound module, work station is the EMU Proteus
2500. The music selections and their history are explained in the book, Sound of
Music.
Music describes a remarkable variety of human activities
that involve making sounds. The best music should have some of the qualities of
bird and other animal songs. Bird songs are most easily identified with musical
melodies and composers have copied bird songs as
themes for musical compositions. The main distinction in the world of
sound is between music which is intelligent and pleasing and noise which is
neither.
Musical sounds convey meaning without the decoding required
for language sounds. Some musical phrases are copies or facsimiles of alarm
cries, bird songs or human shouts and cries that attract attention, signal
danger and express emotion. I hold beautiful music to be the greatest creation
of humans. The sense of musical beauty is elusive and does not require complexity or even great skill, although
beautiful music is more likely to occur when the composer and performers are
accomplished and devoted to their art.
While classical music written in Europe is appreciated as
high art and performed by skilled musicians, musical styles and forms in the
20th century proliferated and incorporated sounds from all over the planet. At
the same time, electronics advanced so that recorded music became the most
popular way to experience music. The science and technology of sound physics and
the neuroscience of sound perception advanced remarkably. I have enjoyed many
different expressions of this technology and continue to learn about sound
synthesis, instrument modeling, recording and editing sound. All these
activities inform about the way our brain processes sound. Music comes in all
shapes and sizes. Some music is spontaneous and easy to make. A folk singer may
be quite charming, strumming simple chords on a guitar, singing a plain song in
a spontaneous and undisciplined manner. Other music requires years of
disciplined study and practice and involves complex concepts and notation
systems.
We like to discuss music, play with music theory and explore new ideas and
techniques for music composition. We have many years of experience with computer
based sound recording and enjoy technology shop talk. We also have a well
developed interest in how our brains process sounds and have generated a number
of interesting psychoacoustic effects. Our in house music production creates
audiophile quality recordings presented as CD's, DVDs, and singles and albums
for Download. Click the links on the left to access the music that has
interested us, listen to our recordings and read topics on music production
technology.
Music Samples Audio players require recent
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Air on a G String, JS Bach -Digital Bach
Born on a Bayou - Credence Clearwater Revival - Rock & Roll
Little Linda (Spiro Gyra)- Jazz
Gorge Harbor Blues- Stephen Gislason - Jazz
Joshua- Miles Davis - Jazz
World Within - Em4U New Music
Digital Bach for the 21st
Century are recordings derived from the complete works of JS Bach,
edited, transcribed and arranged for synthesizer by Stephen Gislason and
recorded at Persona Digital Studio. The project began in 2006, revised
recordings were issued in 2017.
The Counterpoint
for Genius series is a collection of
four albums that has evolved over several years though experimentation
with a number of transcriptions of Bach pieces, many from the religious
Cantatas, mixed with different voicing and, different tempos and
transpositions. Mozart has received the most attention as the composer
of smart music. Bach excels. I realized that many of the Bach pieces I
recorded were among the best examples of contrapuntal composition and
that counterpoint was the perfect brain exercise
Stephen wrote:" I discovered that JS Bach's counterpoint, probably the most
elegant expression of well considered complexity; if presented with clear
definition of interacting voices, counterpoint becomes a delightful form of
brain exercise. The Art of the Fugue (Die Kunst der
Fuge, BWV1080)is a collection of Johann Sebastian Bach' last compositions.
Stephen wrote: "I wanted to achieve a version of the Art of the Fugue different
from other versions. I believe I have
reached an understanding with Bach and Gould, that these pieces have a special
quality that cannot be contained in any individual's opinion of them. "
Persona Music Recordings: Our Music Catalogue includes recorded performances
under the titles Persona Digital, P2500 Band, Em4U, and the Persona Classical Consort. Music online is offered to illustrate music history, advance music education and appreciation. The recordings presented online demonstrate Persona
Studio's arranging, recording and mastering techniques. All the recordings are
arrangements and performances completed in house by Stephen Gislason. The music selections and their history
are explained in the book, Sound of Music.
Topics presented at Persona Digital Studio are from the
The Sound of Music by
Stephen Gislason Click Download to order the eBook
Persona Digital publishesa series of books on current topics in
music, psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. eBooks can be quickly downloaded at reduced cost as PDF files.
