Can plants sing? Here’s how they can be used to make music
Created by STIGA, six tracks born from the voice of plants have been collected “for the first time in a 100 percent eco-friendly vinyl”
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STIGA, a manufacturer and distributor of equipment for garden care, has created an instrumental album using the “voices” of plants.
The brand says that this is the “first time ever” that the music of plants has been used to create a record.
Available on an entirely eco-friendly vinyl record, STIGA’s The Garden Sounds hosts six tracks aptly titled Climbing Ivy, Blooming Tulip, Pale Iris, Night Lavender, Laurestine Dream, and Spontaneous Grass. “Plants have a voice, which deserves to be heard today more than ever,” says STIGA.
It later adds, “Of all habitable land on our Earth, only 37 per cent are forests and 11 per cent shrubs and grassland. It was with these figures that, in April this year, STIGA participated in Fuorisalone 2023 with its #MyPatchOfGreen installation, encouraging visitors to reflect on the alarming reduction of green spaces and natural areas in the world.”
To find out more about how STIGA crafted The Garden Sounds, MusicTech reached out to the company and spoke to the musician and sound designer behind the project, Andrea Baroldi:
What recording software was used for the album?
“I worked with Logic Pro X.”
Tell us about the tech used for recording the album…
“I used a Motu M2 audio interface, M-Audio Keystation Mini 32, AT 2020 Audio-Technica microphone, Apple iMac 2021 M1 chip, a Moog Sub Phatty, and an iPad Pro with Animoog and iMaschine.”
How was it arranged and produced?
“I wanted to avoid producing an anonymous ‘spa music’ album, so I tried to give character and beat to every single track with a strong electronic imprint.
“I decided to arrange each piece with a special distinctive sound used as the lead synth associated with each single plant. I tried to imagine how a tulip might sound rather than sage or an iris, and I built each sound using different timbres, pitch, and range.
“After setting up a rhythmic and harmonic base, I made each different plant voice ‘sing’, making it the protagonist of the track, entrusting it with the main theme or the solo.”
The Garden Sounds is available now on all well-known streaming platforms.
