Frekans Studio

01 / Listen · Session01 / Listen · Session

Traditional / experimental practice

Ancient Rhythms · The Asymmetry of the Balkans

Aksak means 'limping' or 'stumbling': groups of two and three stand side by side and the cycle repeats continuously. First ruchenitsa: seven units, 2+2+3. Then daichovo: nine units, 2+2+2+3. Finally kopanitsa: eleven units, 2+2+2+2+3. The smallest unit comes 350 times a minute; the range Bartók gave for Bulgarian melodies is 300-400, and according to Arom tempo is one criterion for recognising aksak. This is the skeleton of the cycle, not a performance: the positions and order of the strokes come from the sources, the sounds are abstract percussion timbres. There is no claim of any effect.

7 minNo headphones needed

Liner notes

Strikes
Percussion ×3
What do you hear?
busy

3 layers, one sound engine; generated on this device every time it plays.

How is this sound made?

  1. Percussion−8 dB

    Percussion · a 3-stroke pattern, cycle 1.2 s

  2. Percussion−7 dB

    Percussion · a 4-stroke pattern, cycle 1.54 s

  3. Percussion−6.2 dB

    Percussion · a 5-stroke pattern, cycle 1.89 s

  • Reverb: room, 12% mix

In the room you can listen to each layer on its own, change its settings and save it as your own recipe.

Sound is generated on this device in real time; no files are downloaded from a server. There is a 6 s fade-in at the start and a 0 min fade-out at the end.

Compare with another sound

Hear both at the same loudness; drag the slider to the middle and they blend.

In the middle the two sounds truly blend; loudness is matched.

B: neighbours on the map

8 trials, half of them the same sound; get at least 7 right and the difference is audible. The result stays on this device.

What do we know, what don't we know?

S · Soundscape, no claim

No health or mental-effect claim at all; it is simply a soundscape.

This session isn't linked to any claim of effect.

A session's level is the weakest of its linked claims; it is never raised by a strong but unrelated claim.

Its neighbours on the map

The five sounds closest to this one by measured sound features.

  1. 1Ancient Rhythms · The Drums of Central AsiaWarm · rhythmic · wideBoth beats and pulses · both rhythmic · same goal: explore
  2. 2Ancient Rhythms · Where Rhythms MeetWarm · rhythmic · wideBoth beats and pulses · both rhythmic · same goal: explore
  3. 3Rhythm Labyrinth · Hearing AksakWarm · rhythmic · wideBoth beats and pulses · both rhythmic · same goal: explore
  4. 4Rhythm Labyrinth · Four and FiveWarm · rhythmic · wideBoth beats and pulses · both rhythmic · same goal: explore
  5. 5Ancient Rhythms · The Time of IndiaWarm · rhythmic · wideBoth beats and pulses · both rhythmic · same goal: explore
See on the map

Keep your device volume comfortable, preferably below 60%. You can also use your device's headphone-safety settings.