May 21, 2024
by GForce Software
Patricia Wolf is a musician, sound designer, and DJ residing in Portland, Oregon. Wolf uses electronics, voice, and field recordings to produce non-linear compositions that draw listeners to a hypnotic inner world. Her use of melody and repetition manipulate the listeners’ perception of time, conjuring vivid textures, and atmospheres.
Patricia Wolf, who contributed to impOSCar3‘s sound design, kindly agreed to answer a few questions.
Do you have any tips for getting great-sounding patches?
I have a very intuitive approach to patch design. I don’t go in with a clear idea of what I want to make unless I am asked to make very specific types of sounds. Each synth has a unique environment that the synth designers and the engineers carefully crafted. I like to first explore that terrain. The synth will reveal itself to you. It’s in those wanderings that I come across beautiful moments that end up becoming patches. I usually start with the new and unique features on a synth that I might not be well acquainted with and spend some time exploring its effect on sound. If I reach a place that makes me want to write a song, that’s when I know the patch sounds great and I decide to save it. One thing that I like to do to test patches that I design for others to use is to demo it both hand played and sequenced. I also listen to how it sounds being played up and down at least 4 octaves to make sure it’s versatile. The way I use a patch and approach writing music is likely very different from how others will use it. I try to keep that in mind with my designs, but at the same time I want to lend some of my personal perspective for others to explore.
Which of your impOSCar3 patches do you consider your personal favourite?
“Wild Horses”, “Winged Migration”, “Sunshine Colors” are probably my favorite. I immediately feel inspired to write a song when I play those. I love how the macros that I programmed work together on those. These are really fun to play and modulate in real time. All three of these have a cinematic, adventurous feel that picks up my spirit and makes me imagine far off places and times. When my imagination runs wild I find that I make better music.
Is there anything, in particular, you liked about impOSCar3?
It’s a very versatile synth. It can sound both old and modern at the same time which I think is great. I think that the macros section is super cool and very handy for playing live to keep the sound dynamic and interesting. You can program the parameters to be just wild enough without having to worry about it veering off into an unintended territory. I’m very happy to have it as part of my studio now and will be using it in future works.
What’s your favourite synthesiser?
I can’t choose a favorite! It all depends on the project that I am working on. There are unique characteristics to each synth in my collection that help an idea come to life or lend a supporting role to a song. Lately I have been spending a lot of time with my UDO Super 6 and the Harmonic Bloom plugin. I have been working on the soundtrack for a film by my friend Edward Pack Davee and have found that the Super 6 binaural feature works really well for minimal works, especially this poetic film, where you want to create an immersive and dynamic musical experience but you still need to leave room for dialog and other sound elements. It makes a powerful statement in a subtle and mesmerizing way.
Where can readers find out more about you?
https://patriciawolf.bandcamp.com
Photo Credit: GRoberti