The redux l used here is a very important and detailed design, having bit depth can have accurate dynamic range as well as quantization noise. i have put the automation on the bit depth, which allows the soundtrack to switch in between detailed and mumble sound. This also imitate the distance and how people actually truly walk, they use their weight and very steps might sound different.
While the character walks to the door, there is a strong wind coming to her. This wind design is utilized as a riser for the climax to begin. In addition, this wind also represents the start point of the future challenges. Thus, it must be composed with spatial composition, which adding EQ to cut off the high frequency and automize echo with changing left to right and quite to loud imitates the spatialisation of wind splash through the door.
Change of work: last week l developed a detailed storyline for my project that matches the genre and concept of the album. This week l’m going to refine it.
For the beginning of the piece l choose to create connections with the songs in the album, thus l utilize the section of the piece and had secondary created. I have used audio recording the organical track and using reverb effect to increase stereo for the immersive experience for the listeners.
In term of building some layers and texture for the secondary creation. I used a simper to cut out only part of the piece and recorded it together using frequency automation, as well as looped and snapped the track. This is for imitate how the character is listening closely to the radio, and changing channels, this is the first point of view for the listeners to substitute themselves into the character. It is also dreamy effect which is a foreshadow of character slowly going into her dream.
Then l made a chorus for maintaining the dreamy effect and having a set off for the footsteps l recorded myself, this is to imitate the little girl gradually walking towards her goal and ambitions of success. It is also towards her final joy after the life struggles. I utilized the vocoder effect and OTT for the dimension of the sound, building with more depth for the footsteps to be more realistic.
I have added some clear bird sound to collaborate with the footsteps. This sound appears which makes the character hesitate, it is also a symbolism of exploring new elements and experience in the reality world. Therefore this bird sound needs to be very outstanding and has a stereo effect for the listeners to feel surrounded by the sound. So l added a EQ Eight and canceled the low frequencies and building on with feedback in echo.
During the process of creation l have explored other areas of composing. Pure data is also a software that can create very electric and imitated sound, it can also be used for building sound installations.
Class notes:
We are trying to create fire using pure data, and there are many small details we need to pay attention to make it successful. This is another experiment of portraying immersive sound effects.
With the previous development, l created a base melody, however it was very immature and composition was a mess. After listening to the feedback from my peers, l consider to restart my piece with a detailed storyline that matches my theme.
I started with a little girl falling into a forest, this is inspired by the title piece “Forest” in the album. Their background story was a person walking through the forest and exploring the outside world, it is a symbolism of getting connections with inner-self. The entire piece holding a feeling of dreamy, where also connects to the song of “Insomnia syndrome”, where expressing how people dealing with cruel reality and having symptoms of insomnia, where the character “falling down into its dream” is representing how people cure themselves with inner energies where l summarized them using dream, in the dream everything is beautiful and encouraging it is quietly healing the main character.
After this lesson l revised on my last experimental piece and spotted many problematic areas, the entire sound piece had no focus and only repeated with very chaotic composition. Therefore instead of using the exact same melody for the FX motor, l created a simple change on the third one, which allow it to be out of expectation.
I have using the preserve to change the beats to 1/16 and instead of double reverse arrow l have changed to
As well as changing the envelopes to transposit, created a difference for the repetition.
Historical work composed and remixed for multi channel by Pierre Henry:
“L’Apocalypse de Jean” (The Apocalypse of John), composed by Pierre Henry in 1968, is a significant multichannel work in electronic music history. This piece was specifically designed for a 16-channel speaker system at the Église Saint-Roch in Paris.
The composition features:
– Spatialized vocal elements
– Electronic sound manipulation
– Religious text readings
– Complex spatial movements
– Environmental recordings
The immersive effect is created in the space of church:
– Move between different heights
– Travel across the space
– Surround the audience
– Create spatial illusions
– Enhance the apocalyptic narrative
This work represents a pivotal moment in multichannel composition, demonstrating how spatial audio could enhance musical storytelling and religious themes. It’s considered one of the earliest large-scale works to fully exploit multichannel possibilities in an architectural space.
Pierre Henry pioneered multichannel techniques in electronic music by combining innovative sound manipulation with spatial distribution. Using tape splicing, field recordings, and studio manipulation, he created complex soundscapes distributed through multiple speakers. His setup included tape recorders, custom mixing consoles, and speaker arrays, allowing him to control sound movement through space manually. Henry’s approach focused on spatial orchestration and architectural integration, treating the placement and movement of sounds as essential compositional elements. His techniques of channel-specific events and sound trajectories established fundamental principles that continue to influence electronic music and sound installation art today.
Multichannel routing:
Multichannel sound art harnesses multiple speakers strategically positioned in space to create immersive sonic environments that go beyond traditional stereo setups. Unlike two-channel audio, multichannel works typically employ four or more independent speakers, enabling artists to craft three-dimensional soundscapes where audio can move, transform, and interact throughout the space. Common configurations include quadraphonic (4 speakers), 5.1 surround, and 8-channel arrays, though artists often develop custom installations based on their specific needs. These systems find applications in gallery installations, concert performances, interactive exhibits, and architectural sound design. Artists can manipulate sound movement, distance perception, and spatial relationships using specialized software like Max/MSP, Ableton Live, or Pure Data to control routing, processing, and automation. The technical aspects involve careful consideration of speaker placement, phase relationships, signal processing, and sound localization to create cohesive sonic environments. Through multichannel sound art, creators can tell spatial stories, design virtual soundscapes, craft interactive experiences, and explore the relationships between sound, space, and listener perception. This medium has become increasingly important in contemporary art practices, offering new ways to engage audiences through immersive audio experiences that challenge traditional listening paradigms and expand the possibilities of sonic expression.
Project development:
During the period of creating, I have asked my friends to send me some example songs that they will include in the album. As I’m considering developing this intro music into a multi-channel production, where it creates an immersive effect for the audiences, l have firstly composed an experimental piece to test the immersive effect.
When l create this sound piece, I have implemented a natural environment field recording which matches with the theme fun time and their first title music “forest”, which is throughout the entire sound piece, creates a vivid background. And an electronic effect of FX motor in every beat, this brings out a futurism and creates a contrast effect for the audience’s ear.
However l find the FX motor track too frequent, where instead of futurism, it is more disturbing. So l decrease the frequency of it, and make it play every 5 seconds.
When l try to play in different channels, l accidentally change the in-channel to various channels, however after the lesson l realize the out-channel is what we need for actual speakers. This is my first attempting towards multi-channel.
From this lesson I learned that the field recording equipment l could use for my project are Zoom H3 VR or Sennheiser Ambeo.
Where the speaker in the m108 studio is the octophonic ring, it is a form of audio reproduction that presents eight discrete audio channels using eight speakers.
We have then experienced recording using the octophonic ring using signwaves and squarewaves. We have tested in various tempo and dynamic directions. During this process, l observed the impact of distance and how spatial created on microphone recording. Especially for ambeo H3 due to its multi capsules that capture the sounds from many different directions, therefore we have run around in a circle to experiment the sound changes in ambeo H3, and this is how the stereo sound is being collected.
Idea developments:
From the experiment on ambeo H3, l consider the idea for album intro could be develop with more spatial designs, instead of using only one speaker, l could create different tracks in various speakers, like how we use the octophonic ring, we can think of the direction, where does the audience face, and what impact does it create for the audience, etc. For example, if l want to create an effect of a forest, l could make each sound in various layers and place them in different speakers and spots of the room so It overlap each other while creating an immersive effect on the audience.
Fig.1 Mind map of the idea development & expected setups
Fig.2 Setup details & the storyline of the sound piece
Second week into Reverberation and space (In class study)
There are Acoustics terms：
Absorption: The process by which sound energy is dissipated or transformed into other forms of energy, typically heat, when it strikes a surface or material.
Reverb/Reverberation: The persistence of sound reflections in an enclosed space after the original sound has stopped, creating a sense of spatial depth and ambiance.
Room Modes: Resonant frequencies that occur in enclosed spaces due to the interference patterns created by sound waves reflecting off surfaces.
Critical Distance: The distance from a sound source where the direct sound and reverberant sound fields are equal in level.
Diffusion: The scattering or dispersal of sound waves in multiple directions, preventing flutter echoes and creating a more natural-sounding reverberant field.
Impulse Response: The recorded or simulated acoustic response of a space or system to a brief impulse or excitation signal, capturing its unique acoustic characteristics.
Anechoic Chamber: A highly absorbent and non-reflective environment designed to eliminate or minimize reflections and echoes, used for acoustic measurements and testing.
Masking: The phenomenon where one sound interferes with or obscures the perception of another sound, often due to frequency or temporal overlap.
Standing Waves: Stationary wave patterns that occur in enclosed spaces due to the interference of reflected sound waves, resulting in regions of amplification and cancellation.
Acoustic Impedance: A measure of the resistance to sound wave propagation in a medium, influenced by factors like density and stiffness.
Resonance: The amplification of sound waves at specific frequencies due to the natural vibration characteristics of an object or enclosed space.
Diffraction: The bending or spreading of sound waves around obstacles or through openings, affecting the propagation and spatial distribution of sound.
Comparing these recordings
Adapting the spatial characteristics of spaces e.g., with drapes, hard objects and reflective panels
Experimentation and comparison of hardware reverberation (e.g., spring, plate, treated spaces, hardware digital reverbs)
Software reverberation, (e.g., Convolution reverb and impulse responses)
Exploration of different approaches to scoring multi-channel works, such as X, Y and Z axes
Exercises:
Students explore mixing an existing stereo or mono track for multichannel playback
Students create draft scores for multi-channel work Booking M108 on the ORB for mixing multi-channel work
Independent Study: Continue developing your score for both linear timeline and spatialisation Upload your score to your blog together with a description of your concept and themes
A linear timeline refers to a traditional, sequential approach to structuring and experiencing sound over time
Idea development During this second period l researched deeper into the sue of recordings and software reverberation, l consider it is very logical towards my first idea of creating a introduction for an album due to the fact that it is experimental piece that can include many elements, l can use this piece to explore and exhibit my techniques, whereas installation of dance sound could be combined such as engaging with the audience, but shouldn’t be too complicated and scientific due to our time limitation, I should research deeper into the sound itself than mechanical building. However, there are still many details for me to focus on especially in the area of envisage in the gallery. If it is only a simple music piece it might not be interesting enough, l need to think of an idea that could exhibit my piece with speciality.
First week is an intro into Mono and Stereo (in class study)
Where mono is a sound is a single channel of audio that is played back through a single speaker or a set of speakers reproducing the same signal.
The advantage:
Simple to create
Disadvantage:
Due to its coming from a single point source it is easy to overlap and cover up each other when it combines multiple tracks.
Whereas for stereo, it is a sound involving two separate audio channels that are played back through two separate speakers or sets of speakers.
The advantage:
Allows for the creation of a wider soundstage and a sense of spatial depth, space and directionality.
For stereo, the techniques like reverb and delay can be used to create a more realistic and engaging spatial representation of sound sources
Disadvantage:
Stereo spatialization is limited to a horizontal plane, making it difficult to accurately represent sound sources located above or below the listener’s plane.
Mono
Stereo
This week i’m starting to mind map my ideas for this assignment, it has been a long process to find out my ideas, where during this time my friend invite me to collaborate an album with them, where it needs a intro that conveys their concept, it is an abstract genre which l have never experience before, it’s more like an audio paper than simple sound piece, but l consider this might be a great opportunity for me to use all the knowledge that we learned from class, such as reverb and multi-channel recording, we need to combine both conversation and music, it is still in the progress of choosing what to include, maybe it’s an audio paper to introduce all songs, it might also be a sound piece that is leading the audience to its album. However, As a dancer, l’m also considering create a spatialization environment that can feel music or convey music with their movement. from the history to now dancers always collaborate dance moves with music, it usually created after the music being made, however l wanted to know whether movement can cause or lead sound, it is also an area that sound installation researched on.
The pre-production phase of an audio paper is crucial for establishing a solid foundation. Begin by conducting thorough research on your chosen theme, just as you would for a written paper.
Develop a clear thesis and outline your main arguments.
Next, create a detailed script that translates your academic ideas into spoken language, considering how to effectively convey complex concepts aurally.
Identify key points where audio elements could enhance your argument, perhaps to emphasise important concepts or create emotional resonance.
Plan your sound design, deciding on any music, field recordings, or FX that will support your narrative.
Finally, create a production plan, arrange any necessary interviews, and prepare your recording equipment.
What is an audio paper?
“Audio papers resemble the regular essay or the academic text in that they deal with a certain topic of interest, but presented in the form of an audio production.”
From my own understanding, audio paper is a type of presentation that uses voice to explain and analyze what we have explored in the field.
I have then explored the audio paper “Mundania” from Robert william. His work exhibits the audio paper begins with ideas about what is audible and then explores mundanization processes. Voice-over and acoustic compositions created by manipulating a single recorded sound are combined in this paper. The conversational comments and discussions are made more intense by the way the recording is sonically altered.
What are the influential historical and contemporary theories on sound art?
Firstly I want to start my inspiration from the aspects of influential historical and contemporary theories on sound art. My interests are more focused on sound designing, however I have planned to develop my base knowledge first.
There are some influential theories on sound art:
Futurism (early 20th century): The Futurist movement, pioneered by artists like Luigi Russolo, celebrated the sounds of the industrial age and sought to incorporate these noises into music and art, challenging traditional notions of harmony and melody.
Musique Concrète (1940s-1950s): Developed by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, this theory focused on the manipulation and organization of recorded sounds from the environment, treating them as raw materials for composition. (Field recording to be the base)
Fluxus (1960s-1970s): This international avant-garde movement, influenced by artists like John Cage and Nam June Paik, emphasized the integration of different art forms, including sound, performance, and multimedia installations.
Acoustic Ecology (1960s-present): Theorized by R. Murray Schafer, this concept explores the relationship between living beings and their sonic environments, advocating for conscious listening and preservation of natural soundscapes.
Phenomenology (1970s-present): Influenced by philosophers like Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Don Ihde, this theory emphasizes the subjective experience of sound and the ways in which it shapes our perception of the world.
Sound Installation Art (1970s-present): This contemporary practice involves the creation of immersive sonic environments, often site-specific, that engage with the physical and spatial dimensions of sound.
Sonic Materialism (1990s-present): Theorists like Salomé Voegelin and Christoph Cox have explored the materiality of sound and its capacity to shape and transform physical spaces and objects.
Sound Studies (2000s-present): This interdisciplinary field, drawing from disciplines like anthropology, cultural studies, and sociology, examines the cultural, social, and political dimensions of sound and listening practices.
What is my concept? How do l produce it? What is my plan? (what do l require and prepare)
To start my audio paper: The audio paper takes its point of departure in notions of
