Vicky Clarke - Neural Synthesis

About this episode

Vicky Clarke joins Caro C to explore her experimental approach to sound, from field recording and neural synthesis to AI technologies and spatial audio. She also discusses immersive installations, open-source tools and the unconventional inspirations that drive her work.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

02:06 - Field Recording, Musique Concrète and DIY Electronics

05:34 - Residency In Russia

06:27 - Neural Synthesis And Machine Learning

10:53 - Working On Aura Machine

14:16 - Working With AI Technologies

16:35 - Open Source Software

18:30 - Developing An Immersive Sound Installation

20:41 - Fear Around Technology

22:23 - Spatial Audio Using Spat

25:28 - Routing Ableton For Spatial Audio

27:53 - Sculptures As Sound Sources

30:32 - Adopting Emergent Technology

33:53 - Geology As A Source Of Inspiration

#ableton #spat

Vicky Clarke Biog
Vicky Clarke is a sound and electronic media artist from Manchester, whose work explores materiality, electrical phenomena and ritual. Working with sound sculpture, DIY electronics and human-machine systems, she explores our relationship to technology considering themes of human agency in autonomous systems, post-industrialisation and techno-emotional states. Her work takes the form of composition, installation and live AV performance. She produces music as SONAMB and her debut album, SLEEPSTATES, a ‘glitchy experimental techno jerker’ (Boomkat) was released in 2022, accompanied by net-art piece ‘SLEEPSTATES.NET'.

‘Latent Spaces’, her 2025 spatial sound installation, was created as a selected ‘In Motion’ composer with Sound & Music UK. Inviting audiences to step inside a computational model, the piece draws on her research into machine learning and musique concréte, working with early neural synthesis models and custom industrial datasets. This research practice developed through artistic residencies and commissions with NOVARS electroacoustic department at the University of Manchester, UK-Russia year of music, British Council, and Cyborg Soloists at the University of Holloway, resulting in her works ‘Aura Machine’ and ‘Neural Materials.’

Vicky won an Oram Award in 2020 from the New BBC Radiophonic Workshop & PRS Foundation. As a solo artist and previously with DIY electronics project Noise Orchestra, she has performed and exhibited at CTM, ICA, MUTEK, National Science & Media Museum, QO2 and STEIM amongst others. Her latest EP AURA MACHINE is out now on LOL Editions.

https://vickyclarke.org/
https://www.instagram.com/sonamb__/
https://linktr.ee/sonamb__
http://sleepstates.net/
https://loleditions.bandcamp.com/album/aura-machine

Caro C Biog
Caro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album 'Electric Mountain' is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This 'sonic enchantress' (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.

URL: http://carocsound.com/

Twitter: @carocsound
Inst: @carocsound

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