Kyle McCrosson is a musician, performer, songwriter, sound designer, and producer from Bayport, New York. Computer Science, Music Composition & Technology major. His interest in music began with piano lessons from the age of 6. From there, he learned the trumpet and the French horn in school, and taught himself to play the guitar and electric bass. In middle school, he began writing his own melodies on the piano-- something that has blossomed into a long love of songwriting. Throughout his five years at Northeastern studying computer science and music composition and technology, he has had the opportunity to compose for small ensembles, do sound design for student animations and plays, and expand his knowledge of sound synthesis techniques. His most current, ongoing project has been writing, producing, and recording electronic pop music under the stage-name 'Kale'.
‘Deviation’ is a piece for clarinet, cello, and piano that Kyle composed as a part of his composition lessons at Northeastern. It begins with a calm and serene melody, passing between the three instruments, but takes a dramatic and suspenseful turn when it dips into the relative minor. The piece comes around to a conclusive final section when the melody from the beginning re-emerges, in a slower and grander expression of the initial idea. This was one of the first classical pieces that Kyle composed for a small ensemble. Most of his prior pieces consisted of piano solos.
Fixed Media Works
digital_forest
Fall 2019
'digital_forest' is an exploration of the use of synthesized birdcall as a compositional tool. The piece begins in a natural-feeling forest soundscape, with the gradual introduction of a variety of bird calls in a type of call and response. Gradually, the composition transitions into a rhythmically-based section where the sounds that were previously making up the soundscape are now used almost as percussion instruments. 'digital_forest' builds to a climax when the bird call sounds devolve into their base waveforms, revealing the primitive synthesis that was used to create them as the rhythm falls apart into chaos. While simultaneously being a study of physical modeling synthesis and soundscape composition, 'digital_forest' also serves to show listeners that all that appears real in the digital age may in fact be manufactured beneath the surface.
Think About Leaving
Fall 2018
Inspired by a variety of electronic music, Kyle wanted to explore his love of pop music and created his ‘Kale’ project. Through this experience, Kyle has been able to develop his songwriting, production, and performance skills. This journey has also led him to be able to collaborate with a variety of students and artists in the Boston area--an invaluable opportunity that has taught him so much about what it means to be part of an artistic community. Kyle plans to continue releasing music as Kale after graduation, and is excited to see where this project will take him.
Think About Leaving was one of the first pop songs Kyle ever wrote, long before the inception of the Kale era. He wrote it in high school, but never recorded it at the time because he lacked the know-how. Upon beginning his more serious attempts at production and songwriting, Kyle decided to brush this one up and give it the effort that it deserved. Think About Leaving was co-produced, mixed, and mastered by Emilee Lyons, a local artist.
Smart Car
Spring 2019
Kyle wrote Smart Car while on co-op at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Somerville. He was inspired when he passed a Smart Car on the street, and thought it would be a fun topic to write about because songs rarely glamorize this small, goofy-looking, eco-friendly vehicle. The production for this song was done by Murray Sandmeyer and was mixed and mastered at The Bridge by Kyle’s coworkers Emilee Lyons and Alex Allinson.
Mary Lou
Fall 2019
In his senior year at Northeastern, Kyle had the opportunity to take two songwriting classes with Professor Melissa Ferrick, during which he was not only able to develop a more methodical songwriting technique, but he also wrote and produced more than 15 original songs. One of these songs was Mary Lou--a stripped back (although still electronic in aesthetic) ballad to a close friend of his. Thing track is currently being polished up, mixed, and prepared for official release under Kale.
Invasion
Spring 2019
‘Invasion’ is a short animated film created by Victoria Barranco, a senior at Northeastern at the time, who asked Kyle to design the sound effects for the animation. Barranco created this film as part of her capstone project--it depicts an alligator named Scoot and his butterfly friend who are put in danger by a gang of monsters encroaching on their home. The film is meant to raise awareness for the destruction of wetlands and marshes to build suburban housing in Florida. All sound in the video, aside from the music, was recorded and designed by Kyle. The film was accepted into 13 film festivals in 6 countries around the world including the United States, Italy, and Brazil.