DISEnsemble (Destructive / Inventive Systems Ensemble) is a musical performing group that uses improvisatory hardware and software hacking techniques as an approach to music-making. By finding novel solutions to musical performance problems, students cultivate an attitude of creative freedom. Students experiment with improvisation, circuit-bending, and destructive/creative instrument design while crafting a performance of live works.

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At the request of the department, I founded the group back in Spring of 2018, thinking it would be a one-off experience. That semester was a really rough ride and the group only got off the ground after I decided to cement it into place with my own sweat, tears, blood, and money (which was not easy, considering I was a lowly adjunct). What went down at the first concert earned us a regular spot in the IUPUI music technology ensemble pantheon and thus my name has been inextricably linked with the group (for good or ill). So, as I tell the students at the beginning of every semester, this organization was built with my own two hands and it will not fail under any circumstances. And neither will they if they play their cards right! ;)

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A regular focus of this group has been instrument design and creation, in the past, we've done this with analog circuits, but working on Zoom for the past two semesters, has made our circuit building/soldering/etc... quite difficult so we've been building stuff in Max instead, which has been working well thus far. Check out our FREE SAMPLE PACKS in the MML.repo page!