In this article, the author details several of his sound works with reference to the contextual and perceptual parameters that affect them: Trace Elements (1987), Rules of Engagement (1989), Guitar Mechanical (1989), what becomes (imprint) (1990), and There Goes Swifty (1990). These works grew out of the author's interest in manipulating musical and perceptual information and were developed with consideration of the local conditions under which they existed.