Voltage Mediation
Research & Development of Hybrid Digital–Analogue Sound Systems
Andy Jenkinson (Leicester, UK)
Overview
Voltage Mediation is a four-month research and development project investigating how binary computational timing systems can meaningfully interact with analogue voltage-based sound architectures. It explores bidirectional translation between 1982 Sinclair ZX Spectrum 1-bit audio and contemporary Eurorack modular synthesis, treating translation not as simple conversion, but as a site of instability, negotiation and compositional discovery.
Format
- Prototype hybrid instrument (ZX Spectrum ↔ CV)
- Lecture-performance (30–45 mins) + discussion
- Two public development sharings (Midlands, UK)
- Documentation + written reflection (methods, findings, limitations)
This page is a working project hub for partners, festivals and funders. (Last updated: 20/02/26)
Research Question
What forms of musical coherence and instability emerge when discrete digital timing structures are mediated through continuous analogue voltage systems — and how might this alter compositional behaviour in both domains?
The ZX Spectrum’s 1-bit audio is an extreme form of digital austerity: rhythm and pitch generated through strict processor timing loops and binary state switching. Modular synthesis descends from voltage-controlled traditions in which sound emerges from continuous electrical variation, drift and feedback. Voltage Mediation stages a structured dialogue between these two lineages: order and entropy, quantisation and fluctuation, clock and drift.
System (Prototype)
In development — details will evolve during R&D.
Core components
- Custom ZX Spectrum compositional software (1-bit timing-loop sound generation)
- Digital-to-voltage translation interface (timing/structure → CV & gates)
- Modular synthesis architecture able to respond to, filter and destabilise computational structures
- Bidirectional behaviours where analogue drift/feedback can influence digital timing outcomes
The work begins from instability (misalignment / unresolved rhythmic structures). Through analogue mediation (filtering clocks, scaling voltages, tuning relationships) coherence is allowed to emerge — then deliberately destabilised again.
Phases (4 months)
- Phase 1 — System Prototyping: interface refinement; stability & drift threshold testing; bidirectional control structures
- Phase 2 — Spatial & Compositional Development: multichannel/diffusion experiments; lecture-performance structure
- Phase 3 — Public Development Sharings: two informal sharings + discussion (partner venues in principle)
- Phase 4 — Refinement & Documentation: consolidate portable prototype; film documentation; publish written reflection
Media
YouTube/Other Media
Press / Context
BreakSpace / ZX Spectrum magazine (2025) featured my artistic work, including:
- A ZX Spectrum installation exhibited at LCB Gallery (Leicester)
- A ZX Spectrum performance at Machina Bristronica (run-up to the festival) and a Teletext art installation
Article: From BEEP to Beauty (BreakSpace Magazine, 2026)
Article: The Most Interesting Machines Say 'No' (Machine Zine, 2026)
Press enquiries
- Email andyuglifruit@hotmail.com
- Telephone (+44) 7722861387
Artist
Andy Jenkinson is a UK-based sound artist working with legacy computing systems, modular synthesis and experimental sound. His practice centres on constraint-driven composition and hybrid digital–analogue systems, often using the 1982 Sinclair ZX Spectrum as a programmable 1-bit instrument.
What I make
My practice explores constraint, obsolescence and live systems: sound works and installations built from legacy computing, broadcast aesthetics and hardware synthesis. I work with original machines (rather than emulation) wherever possible, using low-level code and DIY interfaces to foreground the physical realities of timing, limitation and failure.
Artist CV (PDF)Selected: Teletext Art Installations (Machina Bristronica, 2025) - ZX Spectrum Sound Installation (LCB Depot, 2025) - Dyski Radio Music Residency (2025)
Quick Tags
ZX Spectrum sound 1-bit music Eurorack Lecture-performance R&D Teletext installation Teletext workshopImages
ZX Spectrum Installation, LCB Gallery, Leicester (2025)
Partner / venue asks (in principle)
- Host a 30–45 min development sharing + discussion
- Provide a small space + basic PA (or headphones setup)
- Preferred: audience of curious non-specialists + practitioners
Or contact me for bespoke ideas.
Contact
Email: andyuglifruit@hotmail.com
Telephone (+44) 7722861387
Website: butterflypolite.com/arts
Instagram: uglifruity
YouTube: @uglifruty
PDF pack / dossier: download
© Andy Jenkinson — 2026