Whether he’s recording music from a Bonsai tree or capturing the sound of sand, experimental composer and sound designer Diego Stocco reminds us just how beautiful nature’s music can be. Recorded entirely with the Apogee ONE on a dismantled piano, Diego presents “Imaginary Hummingbirds.”

“I think nature is a great source of inspiration. I created some of my work just by observing things around me,” Diego says. “I also believe that leaving a certain amount of randomness flowing into my work actually opens up ideas I couldn’t have reached otherwise, and that’s why I like to keep a dismantled piano out in my garden. It’s an instrument I can use in many different ways, obviously not as a standard piano, but that’s exactly my point. When I look at the keyboard of a piano I start thinking in terms of scales, patterns, notes, but if I look at the open strings I might not even know which notes I’m playing, and that’s an interesting experience because I’m interacting with the instrument in a different way.

Also, the fact that I’m keeping it outside creates an interaction with external factors that are out of my control; wind, birds and even traffic can play a role in the final sound and what I decide to play. This sound sample is a small improv on the dismantled piano captured with the ONE and its internal microphone, recorded into Logic and mixed in Pro Tools HD through a Rosetta 800.”

To hear “Imaginary Hummingbirds,” please visit:
http://soundcloud.com/diegostocco/diego-stocco-imaginary-hummingbirds

To look at photos from his session, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31374218@N08