TRANSMISSION ART ARCHIVE
Mains hum (17 sine waves)
2015
A short meditation on sound and electricity, based on a simulation of mains hum noise created with 17 sine-waves. The text being read in this piece: "A sine wave is the purest form of sound, its waveform is characterized by two perfect semicircles. It is possible to recreate any sound using the correct number of sine waves. You'll just have to find the right number of frequencies and the right volume ratio between them. Sound waves spread as microscopic tremor in all matter. Everything tremble. Sometimes the sound hits an eardrum, travels trough to the small fine bones to the cochlea, sets the cilia in motion - and, just before it hits the auditory center in the brain: it has become electricity again. In this piece I have used 17 different sine waves to recreate the sound of mains hum."