The Mixer Project

Sound Project with public participation

The Mixer Project was developed by Christina Kubischin and Tom Thiel. The basic idea is to invite the audience to create an own composition at a special mixer desk. The sound material consists of the acoustic and electromagnetic sounds of the city where the project is presented.

The mixing process is intuitive and easy to use — even for people who never engaged in the process of making music before. The results of the musical mixes are very individual and different from each other, although they all start from the same pool of available sounds. They are full of interesting variations, surprising processes and musical structures.

The mixer offers four channels with six to twelve sounds each. The sounds can be selected by stepping through, they can be pitched and panned, faded in and out — similar to a mixing desk in a recording studio. The Midi Controller (Novation Launchcontrol XL) is all that’s needed, no mouse or computer keyboard necessary while mixing.

Once a user is familiar with the sounds and the controls, the output can be recorded and later given to the user on a USB stick or sent by email.

Every participant rediscovers the sound world of his own city in a new way. He becomes a composer of an individual piece which he/she even can take home.

Realizations:

2023
Catalytic Sessions, Music Congress University of Cape Town

2023
Festival Ultima, Deichman Library (Workshop), Oslo

2024
Oscillations Capetown-Berlin, exhibition Akademie der Künste Berlin

2025
Electrical Jubilee, exhibition KunstRaum Goethe, Goethe Institute Rome

2025
More than meets the Ear, Seoul Art Space Mullae, Seoul

… to be continued

Examples of mixes created by visitors of OSCILLATIONS

Examples Electrical Jubilee, Rome 2025

Example Seoul, 2025