I composed the soundtrack for "The Conduit", a revolutionary first-person shooter game for Nintendo Wii developed by High Voltage Software and distributed by SEGA.

For this project I created a large amount of ambiences, tonal distortions, massive drums and percussions by using various unusual acoustic and electronic instruments. In some cases, also for the orchestral sounds I experimented with signal processing to alter their original color and character.
Diego Stocco "The Conduit" extract. © 2009 High Voltage Software/SEGA.
Megaphonic Resodrum
Acoustic timbre coloration with controlled distortions.
Reamping techniques are very useful to add depth and life to material generated with synths. In this particular case I was using a bullhorn to direct the sound inside a small kick drum, which was working as a resonator.
DistoDrum
Overdriven acoustic drum coupled with resonant toy piano tines.
I used this instrument as a basis for various things, recorded both with condenser mikes and piezo transducers. The condenser mikes were to capture the bright metallic sound, the piezo transducers instead were to record low frequencies coming from the oscillation of the tines transmitted to the skin. I created hits and grooves by messing with the tines and by hitting the edge of the drum.
Unorthodox Cymbals
Hanging cymbals played with a wooden saw.
Those cymbals were hung because when I was hitting them really strong I wanted them to weave freely around the microphones and possibly clash together. I used a wooden saw to create rattling metallic sounds that I later processed to create ambiences and transitional sounds.
LCO / Light Controlled Oscillator 
I like to experiment with small electronic instruments, like the optical theremin. The pitch of this circuit responds to the intensity of external light, which makes it hard to play specific notes.
I wanted to find a better way to control not just the pitch but also the trigger of the sound in order to create rhythmic patterns. I used che chassis of an old device to host the circuit, connected a dimmer to control the intensity of a light bulb and a push-button switch to break the circuit, so I could control the note on/off. To fatten up the sound I connected it to a spring reverb, an hi-fi amp and two old speakers, recorded with a stereo microphone. The instrument needs to be be played in semi obscurity.
Metal Contrabass
Bowed piano and bass strings mounted on a garage heater.
When I'm looking for new ideas I often customize what's around me in that moment. I wanted to create deep and grungy bowed sounds to thicken up the basses of the strings section, as well as clusters and discordant transitional elements. I used a heater as the body for a bowed instrument. I attached piano and bass strings to it, tighten up with bolts and screws, with pierced metallic bars as bridges pushing against the heater, trasmitting the vibrations to the entire structure.
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