Rational Psychrometric Formulae
Steve Solook and Andrew Deutsch
Rational Psychrometric Formulae is inspired by HVAC systems, and explores concepts of filters and directionality. The choice to compose RPF based on HVAC systems is an ode to Buffalo, NY, where the piece was composed and where Willis Carrier, founder of the Carrier Corporation, invented air conditioners. The title comes from Willis Carrier’s scientific paper by the same name. This composition has four “sections”, and each section has two movements. Each section explores one type of physical filter (earth, air, liquid, light) and one type of audio filter (white noise, high-pass, low-pass, all-pass). The audio tracks, by Andrew Deutsch, have an audio relationship to the filter being explored, and are the inspiration for this composition. Directionality is explored through the playback of the audio tracks through four speakers, which is mapped to the speakers using a sequence based on ultrafilters. Rational Psychrometric Formulae is roughly thirty minutes long, and has minimal breaks between the movements.