Over the past ten years, I have been developing a compositional method for work with contrasting sound materials. This started back in 2009 when I composed a large-form piece called Point of Departure; at this point, I realised that I could make a seamless transition from pitched sounds to noisy sounds, whilst simultaneously transitioning from discrete, delicate materials towards brutal saturation. This realisation fascinated me because, at least in part, it contrasted my previous approach to materials, in which contrasting materials were simply layered to highlight their dissimilarity. In this new approach, contrast is apparent at the start and end, but a seamless process (leading from one start to the other) preventing one from identifying any particular moment of change. It is, in my mind, state change by stealth. This talk introduces such an idea. It offers a range of examples, drawn from the last ten years of compositional activity, to demonstrate some of the different ways in which it has been employed. More importantly, it shows some of the specific techniques used to achieve these transitions, with some basic technical demonstrations.