Abstract:

In quantum mechanics, a system in superposition exists in multiple possible states simultaneously until an observation forces it into a definite state. This is known as wave function collapse—the transition from probability to a singular outcome. I wanted to explore this concept in musical form. Coinciding with the release of the single “Post Sex Blues” by Dust Biters, I ran an experiment where I imported the song into a sampler and let my modular synth behave in an analogous way to wave function collapse. The result is an ever-changing stochastic system, where fragments "Post Sex Blues" are randomly spliced and reassembled in real time. At any given moment, the composition is not fixed; it exists as a vast set of potential arrangements. However, once a listener engages, their experience collapses one of these many possibilities into a distinct, observable event—an audio moment that did not exist in concrete form until perceived.

I call this a quantum soundscape, where the act of listening determines what the song "is" at that moment, much like an observer measuring a quantum system determines its physical state. The music, like a wave function, is unknowable and in flux until it is perceived, at which point its indefinite randomness becomes a singular, subjective reality for the listener.

This patch, this manipulation of "Post Sex Blues" doesn’t just mirror wave function collapse—it embodies it in sound. Each listening experience is like taking a measurement of an unstable quantum state, forever altering what the piece "was" and could have been. The music, like the universe itself, is in flux until we decide to listen. This is a 30 second clip of the patch in action—a singular moment collapsed just for us.