P oceedings o he 6 h Con e ence on AI Music C ea i i y (AIMC 2025),
B ussels, Belgium, Sep embe 10 h-12 h
La en Music: Simulac al Sound Objec s and
In e e e en ial D i s
Guilhe me Coelho
Audio Communica ion Depa men
Technische Üni e si a Be lin
[email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
This ins alla ion explo es wha I call la en music: AI ex - o-audio gene a ed
sound objec s ha emain in-becoming and occupy liminal sign-spaces be ween
ins umen s and gen es, cha ac e ised by spec al semio ics and ansduc i e
indi idua ion in me as able ields. Ins ead o pu suing gen e ideli y o s ylis ic
imi a ion, he wo k delibe a ely employs p omp cons uc ions ha cul i a e
semio ic ensions and associa i e d i s, esul ing in sonic a e ac s ha esis
ca ego ical s abili y and ixed o m. The a e ac s p esen ed we e ca alysed
h ough cons uc ed wo d-assemblages unc ioning as loa ing signi ie s—
linguis ic cons ella ions designed o ac i a e p ocesses o c oss-ma e ial
associa ion, e e i o ialisa ion, and liminali y wi hin la en space, whe e encoded
s ylis ic agmen s a e dislodged om hei con en ional posi ions and
ecombined in o dis inc con igu a ions ha exis a he h eshold o s able
ecogni ion. P omp s and esul an audio a e p esen ed oge he : language sc olls
as a mode o sonic wo ld-making, ende ing audible an in e semio ic ansla ion
in which wo ds ca alyse sound. The ins alla ion ea u es selec ed la en -music
objec s pai ed wi h hei gene a i e p omp s (semio ic sco es), c ea ing a dialogue
be ween linguis ic ac i a ion and sonic ma e ialisa ion. Visually, he p omp s a e
displayed in eal- ime, e ealing he semio ic sca olding ha p oduces hese
e e i o ialized sound objec s. As a ocused s udy o con empo a y TTA sys ems,
ealised h ough Udio, he ins alla ion demons a es how such models can
gene a e singula , h eshold-dwelling sonic o ms.
Keywo ds: La en music; Tex - o-audio (TTA); Sonic Liminali y; Spec al Semio ics; In e semio ic
Musicking; P omp Assemblages; Semio ic Sco es; Re e i o ializa ion; Simulac al Sound Objec s;
Exhibi ion Desc ip ion
The e m la en de i es om he La in la ens, meaning “hidden,” “concealed,” o “lying in wai ”
(Ox o d English Dic iona y, n.d.). I deno es some hing ha exis s bu emains unmani es , awai ing
he app op ia e condi ions o eme gence. Ac oss disciplina y con ex s— om psychoanalysis and
in o ma ion heo y o biology and philosophy —la ency names a s a e o suspended po en ial:
some hing p esen bu no mani es , s uc u ally embedded bu no ye ac ualised. In psychology,
la en e e s o unde lying, hidden, o unexp essed p ocesses; in la en lea ning, knowledge is
acqui ed wi hou ob ious mo i a ion o ein o cemen and becomes appa en only when he e is a
eason o demons a e i . In machine lea ning, la en space designa es a comp essed ela ional
mani old lea ned by he model, whe e p oximi ies encode s a is ical egula i ies and along which
p omp s guide a e sal. In philosophy, la ency esona es wi h no ions o i uali y (Deleuze, 1994),
indi idua ion (Simondon, 2005), and ace (De ida, 1976). Fo Deleuze, he i ual cons i u es he
eal as po en ial— he ield o p e-indi idual mul iplici ies om which ac ual en i ies eme ge. In his
sense, he la en ope a es as a di e en ial ield o possibili ies, s uc u ally p esen wi hin sys ems
o becoming. Simondon’s concep o indi idua ion simila ly emphasizes becoming o e being,
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si ua ing o ms as eme gen om me as able sys ems a he han p e-gi en s uc u es o ixed o m.
La ency hus names a ese oi o incipien o m—a di e en ial ield o possibili ies, s uc u ally
p esen ye only ac ualised h ough inde e mina e ela ions o becoming.1
D awing on a de ini ion o “la en music” de eloped by accompanying esea ch, his ins alla ion
p esen s a selec ion o ex - o-audio (TTA) gene a ed sound objec s cha ac e ised by liminali y,
spec al semio ics,2 ansduc i e indi iduai on. I ha e in es iga ed and gene a ed housands o
ou pu s wi h Udio, and wi hin his co pus ce ain ecu en beha iou s eme ge—in e s i ial imb al
couplings, ecombina o y e e ence, and non- eleological o m. Thei o ma ion h ough la en -
space a e sal con e s a haeccei y—a sonic ‘ hisness’— ha would be di icul o ealise in o he
media o p oduc ion pa adigms. These objec s ho e a he h eshold o ecognisabili y, in ima e
gen es hey ne e ully en e , and e ol e h ough smoo h ye uns able ecombina ions. Composed
ia p omp assemblages ha b aid signi ie s om dispe sed musical cul u es, p oduc ion idioms,
and ins umen ecologies, hey ea icula e hose aces wi hin la en space, yielding dis inc i e
objec s o e e i o ialisa ion. As a ocused s udy o con empo a y TTA sys ems, ealised h ough
Udio, he ins alla ion demons a es how such models can gene a e singula , h eshold-dwelling
sonic o ms.
In his sense, he wo k p esen s a s udy o how con empo a y TTA models can gene a e dis inc
la en sound objec s ha na iga e, blend, and c oss-pollina e di e se signi ie s and o ms o
ep esen a ion. In conc e e e ms, some pieces ead as plunde phonic in an analy ic and aes he ic
sense: an in e ex ual mon age in which s ylis ic codes, p oduc ion opes, and gen e-indexing
signi ie s a e decons uc ed and e-su u ed by he model, yielding p obabilis ic econs uc ions
a he han di ec quo a ion—collage by in e ence ha me ges coexis ing ma e ials d awn om
dispa a e a chi es and scenes.3 Elsewhe e, imb es inhabi in e s i ial spaces be ween ins umen al
signi ie s: malle ha monics migh il be ween mbi a and ma imba; Au o-Tune–in lec ed oices
migh pi o be ween hype pop sheen and syn he ic plainchan , g azing pop’s hook g amma wi hou
se ling in o i ; me allic decays migh d i om cymbal o gamelan. Ac oss hese ec o s, objec s
e e i o ialise as hey d i ac oss musical e i o ies.
Wi hin hese sound objec s, a dense web o spec al aces su aces—echoes o coun less musical
wo ks, p oduc ion echniques, and sonic signa u es comp essed in o he model’s la en space. These
eme gen simulac al p esences simul aneously haun and cons i u e he ou pu s wi hou ully
ma e ialising; hei o ganisa ion is hizoma ic, a becoming-wi h o agmen s ha ecombine along
1 Fo ins ance, in ex - o-audio sys ems such as Udio, he same p omp will almos ne e yield an iden ical
ou pu ac oss mul iple gene a ions. This is due o bo h he s ochas ic na u e o he gene a ion p ocess and he
model’s a chi ec u e, which allows o a ange o in e pola ions wi hin la en space. Each p omp hus ca ies
a e isimili ude o po en iali ies—a p obabilis ic en elope o sonic ou comes shaped by seman ic p oximi y,
s ylis ic bias, and he speci ici y o ambigui y o he p omp i sel . The mo e dis inc o seman ically ambiguous
a p omp is—pa icula ly when composed o uncon en ional o un ela ed signi ie s— he mo e likely i is o
ac i a e di e gen in e p e a i e pa hs wi hin he model, p oducing ou pu s ha a e a ied, uns able, and
singula .
2 I use spec al semio ics o deno e a amewo k o eading signs and ideologies ha a e p esen ye elusi e—
ghos -like aces ha ci cula e wi hou a s able o igin, o en wi hin globalised and pla o med media ecologies.
Meaning eme ges h ough co up ed, agmen ed, o displaced signi ie s, p oducing a “spec al” e ec in which
sou ce and de ini i e e e ence a e de e ed o undecidable (De ida, 1994; Go don, 2008; Fishe , 2014; Blanco
& Pee en, 2013).
3 Audio Examples. These ini ial examples demons a e he cha ac e is ic liminali y and in e e e en ial d i o
la en music. Lis ene s a e in i ed o obse e he uns able imb al iden i ies and how musical signi ie s luc ua e
ac oss ecognizable e i o ies wi hou esol ing in o ixed gen es o ins umen al ca ego ies. The esul ing
sonic a i ac s exis in s a es o pe pe ual becoming—simul aneously amilia and es anged, e e en ial ye
esis ing comple e ca ego iza ion. Link o audio eposi o y:
h ps://d i e.google.com/d i e/ olde s/1K ihFG9jkXDz56pdg4xhY GXDd-MVRGC?usp=sha ing
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non-hie a chical pa hs. The pieces hus occupy a zone whe e many wo ks a e p esen and absen a
once, e e enced ye ans o med: a pe pe ual becoming in which he bounda ies be ween o iginal
and de i a i e, p esence and absence, a e undamen ally des abilised. These a e simulac al
o ma ions ha e oke wi hou ep oducing and e e ence wi hou esol ing—mani es ing liminal
semio ics and g adien iden i ies dis ibu ed ac oss con inuous spec a and po ous ca ego ical
bo de s. Once hea d, he e ec is unmis akable: like uning a adio while he s a ions bleed in o one
ano he , o eading a sonic palimpses whe e e ased lines keep e u ning—iden i y licke s jus long
enough o be el be o e sliding sideways. Cohe ence a i es, hen slips away.
Wi hin ex - o-audio sys ems, ac i a ion occu s h ough p omp s— ex ual sign-uni s ha ac as
seman ic ca alys s in he model’s la en mani old. These p omp s unc ion as assemblages o wo ds
ca ying s ylis ic, cul u al, and a ec i e associa ions ha guide a e sal ac oss lea ned p oximi ies.
A ph ase such as “a an -ga de, plunde phonics, olk, gli ch music” does no esol e in o a single
gen e o o m; i ini ia es a ec o ial sea ch h ough mul iple egions a once. Each e m ligh s up
clus e s o embedded sonic ea u es, and hei conjunc ion yields a ecombinan ield o po en ials.
In his sense, p omp s ope a e as semio ic sco es; language unc ions as ec o ial sca olding o
la en a e sal and objec o ma ion, so meaning a ises om ela ions among sign-uni s and hei
associa ions in he opology a he han any single oken. Because he mani old is con inuous, such
a e sals each in e s i ial sign-spaces whe e ins umen al and gene ic ma ke s o e lap o blu .4
TTA models a e uniquely sui ed o his explo a ion: by in e pola ing ac oss lea ned egula i ies,
hey su ace mix u es ha challenge ca ego ical lis ening, inhabi he in e s ices be ween signi ie s,
and acili a e he e e i o ialisa ion o amilia idioms in o dis inc o ms.
The ins alla ion makes his in e semio ic elay explici . Each sound objec is accompanied by i s
gene a ing p omp , un u led as a ex ual p ojec ion. As wo ds appea and ecombine, he audience
in e p e s he semio ic sca olding ha condi ions wha becomes audible. The p omp –audio pai ing
discloses a double mo emen —linguis ic ac i a ion and sonic ma e ialisa ion—in which encoded
s ylis ic agmen s a e dislodged, ecombined, and e e i o ialised in o con igu a ions ha emain
a he h eshold o ecogni ion. This coupling enac s in e semio ic musicking and schema ic
associa ion, in i ing lis ene s o ace how human schemas and model embeddings co-p oduce
meaning. The p omp can be hea d as a p ocedu al semio ic sco e; he sound as he mani old’s
esponse—a nego ia ion be ween linguis ic cues, lea ned ep esen a ions, and si ua ed lis ening.
C ucially, La en Music in i es a co esponding mode o ecep ion. Lis ening is ea ed as
specula i e and associa i e a he han classi ica o y: a p ac ice o dwelling wi h un inished o ms,
acking d i s and in lec ions ac oss pe cep ual h esholds, and a ending o how meaning is in e ed
a he han gi en. Lis ene s a e in i ed o hea hese wo ks as digi al en i ies wi h ex ensible, non-
ini e on ology—nodes in open chains o con inua ion—aligning musical expe ience wi h media-
heo e ical accoun s o TTA a e ac s as p ocessual and ecombinable.
The wo k o eg ounds i e ecu en p ope ies o la en music: (1) liminal iden i ies ha e use
ca ego ical se lemen ; (2) imb al hyb idisa ion ha blu s acous ic/elec onic/syn he ic p o enance;
(3) in e e e en ial d i , whe e cul u al and s ylis ic aces ci cula e as spec es a he han quo es;
(4) o mal inde e minacy, p i ileging eme gence o e eleology; and (5) ecombina o y semio ics,
in which ex ual sign-assemblages and decons uc ed embeddings o ches a e audio
inde e mina ely. The esul sounds like la ency i sel —ad i , ecombinan , and pe pe ually in he
ac o becoming.
4 The model pe o ms a o m o associa i e syn hesis—na iga ing ac oss encoded sonic ma e ials and
gene a ing ou pu s ha e lec he ela ional ensions and a ini ies insc ibed in he p omp ’s in e nal
s uc u e.
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Technical Ride
Con ibu o
Guilhe me Coelho is a lec u e and doc o al esea che explo ing he en anglemen s o music,
echnology, and media heo y, wi h a pa icula emphasis on AI and ex - o-audio pa adigms. Thei
disse a ion, Tex - o-Audio AI: Technological A chi ec u es, Media ing P ocesses, La en
Explo a ion, and Use In e ac ion, o e s he i s comp ehensi e schola ly s udy o ex - o-audio
sys ems, in eg a ing aes he ic, in e semio ic, and media- heo e ical pe spec i es. D awing om
medium heo y and sonic ma e ialism, hei wo k c i ically in e oga es how ools shape cul u al
p oduc ion, sonic iden i y, and c ea i e agency. They ha e designed and augh cou ses on AI and
music, examining shi ing modes o musicianship, ep esen a ion, and media ion. Thei academic
con ibu ions a e complemen ed by indus y expe ience in music p oduc ion and sound design, wi h
c edi s including Ko n’s The No hing album and comme cial collabo a ions wi h Axel A iga o,
Rimowa, and Kölne Haie. Thei p ac ice spans c i ical heo y and specula i e sonic c ea ion,
si ua ing AI-gene a ed sound wi hin b oade discou ses o digi al aes he ics and con empo a y
a is ic p ac ice.
Technical Equipmen P o ided
• Lap op wi h sound iles and isual p esen a ion
• USB d i e wi h backup o all ins alla ion ma e ials
Se up Requi emen s
• S e eo ampli ica ion (p o ided by enue)
• Video p ojec ion capabili y o displaying p omp s (p ojec o o la ge display)
• One powe ou le
• Connec ion o house sound sys em (1/4" TRS o XLR)
• HDMI connec ion o isual p ojec ion
• Se up ime equi ed: 5 minu es
Ins alla ion S uc u e: The 20-minu e cyclical ins alla ion consis s o se e al sound objec s, each
p eceded by i s gene a i e p omp displayed isually. The isual componen displays he p omp s
as hey un old, e ealing he linguis ic s uc u es ha gi e ise o hese sonic a i ac s.
Documen a ion: Examples o he sound objec s o be included in he ins alla ion can be accessed
he e:
h ps://d i e.google.com/d i e/ olde s/1 pwCsV 7HlG1ixzK_nYyFCGnD0NE giF?usp=sha ing
Accessibili y Requi emen s: None applicable
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Re e ences
Blanco, M. del P., & Pee en, E. (Eds.). (2013). The Spec ali ies Reade : Ghos s and Haun ing in
Con empo a y Cul u al Theo y. Bloomsbu y.
Deleuze, G. (1994). Di e ence and Repe i ion (P. Pa on, T ans.). Columbia Uni e si y P ess. (O iginal wo k
published 1968)
De ida, J. (1976). O G amma ology (G. C. Spi ak, T ans.). Johns Hopkins Uni e si y P ess.
De ida, J. (1994). Spec e s o Ma x: The S a e o he Deb , he Wo k o Mou ning and he New In e na ional
(P. Kamu , T ans.). Rou ledge.
Fishe , M. (2014). Ghos s o My Li e: W i ings on Dep ession, Haun ology and Los Fu u es. Ze o Books.
Go don, A. F. (2008). Ghos ly Ma e s: Haun ing and he Sociological Imagina ion (2nd ed.). Uni e si y o
Minneso a P ess.
Ox o d English Dic iona y. (n.d.). La en , adj. & n. In OED Online. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
Simondon, G. (2005). L’indi idua ion à la lumiè e des no ions de o me e d’in o ma ion. Jé ôme Millon.
(O iginal wo k published 1958)
