Name: Daryl Groetsch aka Pulse Emitter

Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer, composer
Current Release: Pulse Emitter's Dusk is out November 18th 2022 via Hasu Mountain.
Recommendations: Here are two albums I’ve loved for decades that continue to sound magical to me: Anechoic by Heavenly Music Corporation; Equator by O Yuki Conjugate

[Read our O Yuki Conjugate interview]
[Read our Kim Cascone aka Heavenly Music Corporation interview]

If you enjoyed this interview with Pulse Emitter and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

I started taking guitar lessons at age 11 or 12 and began writing songs soon thereafter. I then got a 4-track cassette recorder as a teen and made songs on that. That was the early 90s. Some of that stuff got pretty experimental.

I was raised on The Beatles, as many are, and have to credit “Revolution 9” as imprinting in me that you can do all sorts of weird things with sound.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

Music definitely paints images in my mind. Not just colors but scenes.

When I’m working on a piece of music I go with the images and feelings it creates in me, and then title it to reflect that.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

Throughout my development, when I have an idea for something I want to do, I keep it in mind and eventually make it happen when I’m ready.

I seem to not be satisfied to do the same thing over and over and so my music changes shape a lot. I do not lack for ideas, I have multiple projects going at once lately.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

I’m just a human being on Planet Earth, made of stardust. I go for a cosmic perspective that hopefully even an alien could enjoy.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

Most of my music is inspired by nature and I create it on synthesizers. Synth tones are more evocative to me than traditional instrument sounds. I’m a child of the 80s and so they are just engrained in me.

I like creating imaginary worlds, making music that takes the listener somewhere, as an escape.  

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

I don’t always try to be innovative, the music being good is more important. But I do have my own way of doing things and I believe I have an original voice.

I am sometimes inspired by music of the past but I don’t try to continue a tradition. I think about what I want to do in the future but not about what will be trendy.

I just do whatever I want to hear, and I’m thankful to my listeners for joining me in it.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

I’m an electronic musician, and I’m always exploring new tools to inspire me.

The biggest thing for me in recent years has been the iPad. It’s no toy. There are fantastic sounding instruments and unique compositional tools in there that aren’t available anywhere else. And taking music making out of the studio has been a revelation for me. This has made me much more productive.

The tools of music making have gotten more graphical and a lot easier to use and I’m all for it. The less time spent troubleshooting the technology the better. I like powerful instruments that are easy to use, so creativity flows.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

I wake up pretty early and I like to be creative first thing in the morning when my mind is clear. I’ll decide which of my ongoing projects I want to work on and put in a few hours. Then I’ll get on with the rest of the day.

This is for days when I’m not at my job. Those days I often bring a mobile device and stay creative in my car on break.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

My recent album Dusk on Hausu Mountain was made over a few years. There’s a lot of variety.

One of the pieces began in Taiwan on my iPad. Two others use granular synthesis to process clips of music I recorded long ago. I used my “noise table” for another, all tabletop devices, effect pedals and the like. The others are made in the iPad and MacBook using Omnisphere, my favorite and most powerful synth.

Regardless, I write the notes and make the synth sounds first, then focus on effects processing and mixing next. I take my time, listen in various settings, and make adjustments until it’s perfect. 

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

I mostly work alone, but I’ve had some wonderful collaborations, in-person and overseas via file exchange. It’s exciting to see what happens. Every time I play with someone I usually get some ideas that influence my own music later on.

I tend to play my instruments differently when collaborating. It’s a great way to expand your horizons and think outside the box.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

I want my music to be an escape to another world, or at least a place of beauty. Music makes life bearable.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

I recently lost a friend to cancer. Without planning on it I wrote a piece of music for him.

There are lots of ways to grieve or cope with your feelings. Being creative is a great one, no doubt about it.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?  

To me, science creates a sense of wonder and amazement. Peering into microscopic worlds or out at the universe. There’s a lot of beauty there. That’s an inspiration.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Making a great cup of coffee, or a great meal is an art form. I’d never suggest music is any better.

I’m forced to do a lot of mundane tasks in my life but it’s not expressing myself. It’s still good to take pride in workmanship though.  

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our eardrums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it is able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

I’ve thought about this before and it blows my mind. I can’t explain it. I’m just thankful for it.