Multiphonics CV-2
Modular synthesis software environment from Applied Acoustics Systems. A virtual modular built around control voltage thinking, with sound design and patch contributions for the flagship release.
A sound designer, modular synthesist, writer, and performer who moves between circuit and stage, from voltage-controlled instruments at Applied Acoustics Systems to the boards of Actors' Repertory Theatre.
In his own words: a writer, avant-garde sound composer, and painter with broad expertise in computers, analog synthesizers, and experimental motion graphics.
As sound designer for Multiphonics CV-2, Clifton has shaped the voice of a flagship modular software environment used by producers and composers around the world. As a contributor to Synth and Software, he writes about the instruments and ideas defining contemporary electronic music.
In 2025 he made his stage debut as Booker T. Washington in Ragtime with Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi, joining a full cast and orchestra at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center for one of the musical's most historically charged roles. In live electronic performance he has appeared with custom Serge Modular systems at venues including Coaxial Arts Foundation in Los Angeles, with early work preserved in the dublab radio archive.
Modular synthesis software environment from Applied Acoustics Systems. A virtual modular built around control voltage thinking, with sound design and patch contributions for the flagship release.
Reviews, deep dives, and conversations with the people behind the instruments shaping electronic music today.
Live patch-based improvisation on a custom two-panel Serge system with fellow synthesists at Coaxial Arts Foundation in Los Angeles.
Early creative work preserved in the dublab radio archive: a 2002 broadcast titled "The Patron of the Art" from the long-running Unyousual series.
"Honored to be a part of an incredible cast in the legendary musical while playing Booker T. Washington in Ragtime." Cast bio · ARTS Ragtime program
In 2025 Clifton made his stage debut as Booker T. Washington in Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' Ragtime with Actors' Repertory Theatre of Simi, joining a full cast and orchestra at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center for one of the musical's most historically charged roles.
Live electronic performance is its own kind of theater. Whether patching a Serge at Coaxial Arts Foundation, demonstrating Haken Audio's Continuum on the NAMM floor, or appearing at EoWave's events, his performances treat each instrument as a collaborator rather than a tool. An attitude that carries through the writing and the sound design alike.