(Insert recorded audio)

After this session I realized that the Korg Volca series offers a compact palette for sound exploration. The Volca FM allows me to delve into FM synthesis and create evolving timbres. The Volca Beats provides an analog drum machine for rhythmic experimentation. The Volca Bass shapes bass tones, while the Volca Keys excels at lead synthesis. The interfaces, sequencing capabilities, and interconnectivity make them versatile tools for live performances, installations, and layering complex sonic textures. Which could be key for me to be successful in my final project as it provides easier abscess to complex situations 

Out of class study

• Develop one of the pieces begun in today’s session to be played in next week’s session.
• Add the piece, or a part of it, to your blog. Add some annotation to this.
• Reflect on notes taken in today’s session.
• Consider what aspects of the session may be useful in your personal practice.
• Practice on Korg Volcas for next week’s session: Korg Volca FM Korg Volca Beats Korg Volca Bass Korg Volca Keys

Example pieces:

• “Switched-On Bach” (1968) by Wendy Carlos, featuring the Moog Modular
• “Oxygène” (1976) by Jean-Michel Jarre, featuring the ARP 2600 and Ems VCS3
• “Autobahn” (1974) by Kraftwerk, featuring the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey
• “Blade Runner” (1982) soundtrack by Vangelis, featuring the CS-80 and Prophet-5

Core Techniques and Terminology:

For this experiment in order for me to further understand the effects of the analog, wavetable and operator, I am going to record one sound and alternate the sound into a piece that has a bass melody, rhythmic beats, melody and supporting harmony. First i created a drum kick with alternating the analog with the combination of fil1 and noise

Then I created a bass melody with alternating the envelop and frequency 

And but alternating the wavetable by changing the sustain and release i created a smooth and soft supporting harmony

Here is the final product of a short phrase for my experiment (add audio file)

Through this experiment I’ve concluded that I could use the wavetable to smoothen out or sharpen part of my piece that i don’t like and for analog I could use it effectively to make slight changes to recorded sounds that i would like to make changes

1. Develop one of the pieces begun in today’s session to be played in next week’s session.
2. Add the piece, or a part of it, to your blog. Add some annotation to this e.g. what tools and techniques did you use? What type of textures did you achieve? What the emotional or intellectually stimulating effect of your approach or the piece itself?
3. Reflect on notes taken in today’s session. Consider what aspects of it may be useful in your personal practice.
4. Prepare for Milo’s class here https://learningsynths.ableton.com/  

The history of digital synthesis traces its roots back to the pioneering experiments with computer music in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the MUSICOMP and MUSIC-N programs which paved the way for early commercial digital synthesizers like the Fairlight CMI and the groundbreaking Yamaha DX7, which popularized FM synthesis. As laptops and digital audio workstations (DAWs) became more powerful, software-based synthesizers and virtual instruments emerged. Modern digital synthesis techniques have further expanded the possibilities for sound design and musical expression, revolutionizing the way music is created and produced in the digital age. In order to further understand the evolution and changes in the use of synthesizers through  time I researched and listened to popular synthesizer songs from the 19th to 21st century ranging from Take On Me by A-ha (1985) to Fireflies by Owl city (2009) to Save Your Tears by The Weeknd (2020) and although these pieces are from different genre and different style they do have a lot in common which are Loops and Sequences, Layering, Call-and-Response, Builds and Breakdowns, Modulation and Automation. For the planning of my piece to experiment these techniques I am going to record a vocal sound, using a simplier I am going to manipulate it into a note then using a similar homophonic structure I am going to create a four note looped melody as well as a main melody. Next I am going to create contrast such as climax and change in dynamics with the use of alternating subtractive techniques with drift, lastly with the use of a physical modeling with collision, I am going to create a percussion supporting rhythm to manipulate the flow of the piece.

While experimenting with the drift, I found that this is a perfect tool for me to use as vibrating sound effect as alternating the oscillator mix for the second oscillator creates a perfect sound of vibration, I also found that alternating the noise oscillator mix is the perfect tool for creating the sound of disrupted radio as well as waves which could be very useful for my final product

After experimenting with the collusion feature, I have concluded that as the dot is under the object it resonates the most

Since i have had a general idea of the theme i want for my final project, I then looked for combinations that i would use that that would be useful for me to create a creepy theme and this is the perfect combination for me

(note that tune can be manipulated from -6 to +7)

1. Develop one of the pieces begun in today’s session to be played in next week’s session. 
2. Add the piece, or a part of it, to your blog. Add some annotation to this.
3. Reflect on notes taken in today’s session. Consider what aspects of the session may be useful in your personal practice.

During this experimentation, I first started off by reviewing the reading materials and initially found it quite confusing. After some research and listening to sample pieces, the piece that I was most interested in was the musical concrete of Pierre Henry titled Psyche Rock. The introduction of the piece manipulates a combination of a clock chime, wind background with the flute playing the melody of the piece, creating a haunted and creepy theme with the use of a dissonance interval as well as a slow tempo on the flute. Soon I was able to grasp an idea of how sound objects and harmonies could be combined together but failed to come up with my own interpretation or my own idea. I first recorded the clash of cutleries and the rolling sound of a pottery mugs on a wooden surface my initial idea was to somehow mimic the creepy and haunted theme but then after some experimenting I realized that the theme is more reliant on the instrumental melody than the sound effects and that I would have to first create my melody then look for suitable sound and this is my approach for my second experiment. To help me further understand and improve the effectiveness of my approach I then listened to the audio  materials provided, the one that i found most interesting was the podcast of “Holly Herndon on Self-Sampling and Emotions Through Music | Red Bull Music Academy” from her podcast i realized that my piece does not have to include instrumental harmonies of any kind and could manipulate the theme and emotion only based on the sampled sounds  “I can take that signal and smoothen it, make it very beautiful, make it sound like a violin, or map it to an instrument or do anything with it” Which got me thinking about the final idea of my which is to compose a piece that is only based on recorded sound, manipulating them into melodies.

First I decided on the sound object that I am going to use, which are clashing cutlery sounds, sound of me brushing my teeth as well as a basketball sound, first i manipulated the sound of the tooth brush with a simpler and and created a looped beat as the bass rhythm of the experiment

After that using the 1-shot mode i created a percussive sound with the use of the sound of a bouncing basketball by first trimming the sound then decreasing the transparency 

I also alternated fade in and fade out to smoothen out the sharpness of the start and end toothbrush the pattern created is the twice as fast as the base pattern on the

Lastly i also used the sharp clashing noise of the cutlery for the offbeats of the piece alternating the filter provides a lower muffled clashing noise

I then ended the experiment by adding a melody on the flute

Throughout this experiment I have learnt that any sound could be manipulated into an instrument with a simplier and sampler

• Prepare a written critique of your own work and of another broadcast artwork, to be published on your blog. It could be something you’ve heard recently or a historical work of note. This should summarise your thoughts about what is uniquely characteristic of the medium of radio.  

Broadcast artwork: Last Transmissions by Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S. Davidson.

“Last Transmissions (2005) by Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S. Davidson includes sign-off broadcasts from former radio stations, last addresses of public figures, and last radio contacts with planes, ships, and satellites. These transmissions mark times of crises and cultural importance and they often register as more significant than all previous transmissions.[2]”

http://hyperrhiz.io/hyperrhiz17/essays/4-barber-radio-art.html 

• Meet with your group, discuss and plan a realistic workplan leading towards hand-in. Be candid about the amount of time you can dedicate to the project. Please do not agree to a commitment that you will not be able to deliver upon.

In this review and revision section, me and my group had our final discussion about the project. We finalise the details about names of the characters and what each name represents. Inside there are many details that symbolises our setting of suppression that made my higher status and riches.

The very next section is our recording day. Me and one of our teammates have participated in the broadcast recording. I realise the emotion of the character is the most important thing during the recording. We have recorded multiple times and realise this was while I act as the side character and lead the record actors, the recording was more realistic and emotional. 

We also tried multiple distances between the microphone and the actor, we explored how the shouting was recorded better with the further distance between mic and the actor. They can express the emotion better and the microphone could catch more without being damaged or over-modulation.   

During Easter I have recorded the rest of the character in our script with my old friends, I have compared different voices, tones, and accents to see if it is suitable for the character. 

Through comparison I realise the voice density will be better with the second track, where the tone is performed better with track one, however we like the space between each sentence in the second track where the Spatialization allows the audience to take a breath. Especially in the track for the character James, we recorded with different distances when the character that is having conversation with is placed in a far distance. Overall, there are many details that I have compared and contrasted with to finalise the track we wanted to put in the final sound radio.