This workshop will be an introduction to acoustic and electronic feedback — when a loop is created between an audio output and an audio input. We will experiment with both kinds of feedback, delving into “no-input” mixing (routing a mixer’s output back into its input), and how to connect acoustic and electronic feedback together in one system to produce dynamic, musical results. Participants will gain valuable insight into how audio mixers work and how to use them as instruments. We will practice setting up feedback systems and will have generous time for experimentation.

Sally Decker is a composer, performer, and writer based in Oakland, CA. Her work explores the subtle emotional body and sound as a vessel for practicing presence. Her approach to form and process is psychological and sensory, rooted in the intent of strengthening a reflective focus toward our internal intuitive worlds. Recent interests include feedback systems, the voice, and utilization of language in performance. She received her MFA in 2019 in Electronic Music & Recording Media from Mills College, where she studied with Laetitia Sonami, Maggi Payne, James Fei, Zeena Parkins, John Bischoff, and Fred Frith.