Logic modules are most commonly designed for specific functions in live-electronic music equipment, and are not externally programmable to any great extent. With integrated circuitry, logic modules can become relatively involved, as in the 16-bit digital computer/decoder used in Stanley Lunetta's Moosack Machine. p.300

(Photo:) Part of the Moosack Machine built by California composer Stanley Lunetta. This sound-sculpture combines electronic and acoustical sound-makers with light, temperature, and proximity sensors, all under the control of a digital logic system. Photo by Dennis Lunetta. p.303

A particularly interesting example of sound sculpture is the Moosack Machine of California composer Stanley Lunetta. The Moosack Machine produces, mixes, and processes sound and light activities completely on its own. Considering the interaction among its many elements, the probability of its repeating itself, even after many hours of continuous performance, seems incredibly small.

The sounds of the Moosack Machine are produced by oscillators, the frequency and amplitude of which are controlled by a combination of light, temperature, and proximity sensors. The resultant sounds are mixed, modified, and articulated in conjunction with a logic system consisting of a 16-bit digital counter/decoder and a frequency-divider chain. Various moving parts, a transducer, and the lighting of the sculpture are also activated by the digital logic system.

The motion, lighting, and temperature of the Moosack Machine and its environment are monitored by the same sensors that control the initial sound generation, thus completing the complex feedback loop of this self-sustained sculpture system. The design and character of the Moosack Machine is such that it is on that nebulous line between an automaton and an artificial intelligence. In this sense it is a candidate for the category of live-electronic music because it so closely mimics the attributes of live performance. p.327