arms full of sound
Ambientia III
I have found the most interesting addition to the Synthitone. A week or so ago, I was walking along the North Shore of Ambientia and I saw a glistening light reflecting from the grasses ahead. I rushed up to it thinking that it might have been another traveler, but it was not. Instead, I was peering down at the most interesting device.
I have moved the Synthitone to the Concert Shell and that has improved the sound just as I expected. Now I am getting the true dynamics of the instruments without the intrusion of the wind rustling through the trees, or the crash of the ocean upon the shore. This new find has me really excited and I wonder how it will sound when used with the rest of the Synthitone that I am building.
Like the other pieces of the Synthitone, this device has keys for playing, but has more. Above the keys is a large array of coloured levers and switches. The dimensions of this instrument is quite large. It is rather heavy to pick up. I picked it up and did my best to carry it back to the Concert Shell. Along the way, I stumbled upon 4 silver tubes and a hollow lid. Upon further examination, these items seemed to fit the heavy instrument that I was carrying. The tubes appear to be legs that would hold the instrument up, and the lid is in fact just that. I assembled the unit together and it was much easier to carry, although still very heavy.
Once I got this new unit back to the Shell, I set it up and interfaced it into the Synthitone using a vast array of patch cables that I found. Getting power to the unit was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to find a power outlet on the back wall of the Concert Shell that was live. The sound was brilliant. The notes echoed well beyond my location and filled the air with the most haunting notes that I have ever heard. I started to build a strange piece of music with this new unit and the rest of the collection. I hope that I can expand this message portal to send you a sample.
These units seem to house a large amount of power. Not power in the expendable energy form. No. I mean a mystical power. Never before have I felt like the instruments were an extension of my musical thoughts. It seems that when I play them, these devices interpret my thoughts into music.
I wonder what kind of people used these devices and for what purpose. This leads me to an interesting question - why am I here? I thought that it would be a vacation trip. A touristy thing to do. I have now come to realize that this is not that at all. Me being here has some purpose; some ultimate reason for my being here and creating music.
For a time I wondered how and when I would return from this place. However, I now find myself thinking of that less these days. Instead, I am thinking of how to complete this assembly of musical instruments (if there is a completion) and wonder what the outcome will be as I keep making music with them.
On the inside of the lid of this heavy instrument I did find something very peculiar, though. Tucked under one of the clasps was a small note paper. On it was a simple scribe, a date - December 7, 2004. This date is little more than a month away. I have no notion of what it means. Is this an important date on Ambientia? Could this be a reminder of something to come? I find it of strange coincidence, however, that this date falls exactly 3 months since my departure to Ambientia. Could this be a return date? How do I get back? Must I have all the instruments working by then?
- The Traveler
November 2, 2004
Journey to Ambientia
