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what im finding interesting
Categories
expanded studio practice

Failing Filters

Over the past few weeks in class, I have been expanding on my understanding of PureData and Bela. I have been able to create multiple, independently tuneable oscillators and now I would like to be able to add a filter to the patch. Last week experiments ended with a global tune, which is cool, but not really a feature that I’m looking to add. This week I got something a lot more interesting…

The track below is a demonstration of slowly turning the failed filter from fully closed to fully open. It was captured from headphones connected to the computer by my iPhone, so the presence of the bass is missing. Im still not 100% sure why it is having this effect on the oscillators, but I love how crushed and distorted the sounds become when the parameter is set to maximum! Perhaps I will keep as a feature moving forwards.

Categories
research presentations

Performance Seeds

This is an idea that I had for a performance space. The top half of the drawing is a top down view of the seating arrangement: beanbags closest to the performer and sofas around the outside of the space. The lighting across the walls could be from my cymatics experiments or some other form of reflection. The bottom half is what it might look like when entering the space. Fabric hangs from the walls to the ceiling. Large projections are cast over the sheets creating a glow in the hazy room. The speakers should be out of sight, either behind the fabric or hidden away in the corners, the origin of the sound should not be obvious.

IMG_4277Download
Categories
specialising and exhibiting

Boris Acket (reflection)

Links to relevant work:

Sunbeam, Captured

Einder / Hydrosfeer

Boris Acket is an artist whose pieces I keep finding myself revisiting. His works have a simple elegance that I find mesmerising. Sunbeam, Captured is of particular interest to me, the way that light is used in this piece is incredible. The subtle colouring of the mirror adds such a rich spectrum of colour to the reflection. Occasionally, the container will gently move, causing a ripple in the water. In turn the reflected light is disbursed in a wonderful display.

Looking back on this work got me thinking about reflection as a tool more broadly and how I can implement it within my work. In April, I was experimenting with cymatics, how could I expand expand on these ideas in future experiments:

  • Finding/ Designing a larger container for the water
  • Composing with effect on water rippling in mind
  • Using larger light sources
Categories
research presentations

Meditation + Letting Ideas Come From Within

During my reading for this project, I have found a similar point echoed from a range of writers. For centuries, man has looked to turned to nature for solace or inspiration. I believe we are to live harmoniously with the ebbs and flows of nature. The ancient Chinese concept, Wu Wei, similar to the concept of flow, teaches us to align with these movements. Through this, we can find ways as artists to rekindle our relationship with nature, our environment and ourselves. The present, then, allows us to access the well of inspiration that is already inside us. We find that ideas will flow freely from us when we are in the current moment, focused on the task at hand and our bodily responses.

It is through communing with nature that we move closer to our own nature p. 52 The Creative Act/ Rick Rubin

Discipline and freedom seem like opposites. In reality they are partners. Discipline is not a lack of freedom, it is a harmonious relationship with time p.135 The Creative Act/ Rick Rubin

In this creative dance, where nothings is pursued, nothing is lost, and everything gracefully falls into its rightful place – nothing remains p.54 The Way Of Effortless Books/ Joshua David Hester

When practice becomes fixated on goals and end points, it distorts itself p.21 Structures And Synthesis/ Mark Fell

It is possible that playful participation can result in peak creative product, but the critical factor is that music is not held at a distance and objectified but instead lives as a process into which all members of the group enter, experience and enjoy p.11 Free To Be Musical/ Lee Higgins, Patricia S Cambell

Whether scientist or artist, coming to know our individual sense of the world is not a one-sided inquisition, but a constant collaboration between oneself and this nature and cosmos. Asking Questions Of Nature/ Patrick Lyon

Categories
specialising and exhibiting

Playful Experimentation

Joshua and I spent a few hours in 108 working on the movement and arrangement of the sound for the piece. I started the session by letting the soundscape play for around 10-15 minutes, giving us time to enter the right state of mind to get the best out of the work, each other and allowing Joshua time to warm up.

We then spent a hour or so going through the individual tracks to thin out the piece, as we thought there were too much going on to really appreciate the spatialisation. After this we focused on the movement, seeing how Joshua initially responded to the piece, I was reminded of the introductory scene for Sandman in Spiderman 3. The slow rising and falling, breaking and piecing back together felt very relevant to the themes of growth, decay and rebirth underlying my project, so we leaned into these types of movements. As a result arranging the soundscape happened naturally as we thought through how we wanted the movements to happen throughout the piece.

The next few hours were spent recording and rerecording everything and tweaking things with each take. We were working with the sunlight, as we liked how the light cast over Joshua as he moved. We wanted to keep that element as the sun went down, so I found a lamp for us to use which I think elevates the piece as a whole and helps to frames the movements.

(videos should be in ‘vids’ sub-folder of the blog folder if unavailable below)

Categories
specialising and exhibiting

Initial Ideas

There are two main ideas that I have for the spatialising and exhibiting unit in the initial stages.

  • Idea 1 has stemmed from an Ableton project that I have been working on throughout the summer
  • Idea 2 has stemmed from the research into cymatics that I was doing last year

Idea 1:

I’m not sure what to call this Ableton file yet, it’s not quite a song, it currently loops indefinitely and feels like a place. Let’s go with soundscape. Over the summer I got my self a copy of Ableton 12 and have been spending so much time learning and gaining a deeper understanding of how everything works there. This soundscape is one of the projects that I was working on, however, it felt different, out of place with the other pieces that I had made. Where the others grew and morphed as I experimented, naturally leading to their arrangement, this piece, Organism, I can’t seem to wrap my head around how I am going to arrange it. It’s like all the tracks are in a delicate balance that shifts and sways as you take it in.

It should be interesting to see how spatialising will affect my perspective of this piece.

Idea 2:

This carries on from where I left off last year with the speaker, mirror and laser.

  • To keep things kind of simple, this should be a piece for 4 speakers
  • Lasers should be pointed towards the speakers in a way so that they converge into one point
  • This point can be wall/ceiling/floor depending on where the viewer is situated
  • Each speaker should be playing its own frequency or frequencies
  • The frequencies should be chosen with the visual aspect in mind

I like the concept for this piece, I think there is certainly something to explore here. I think it would definitely be interesting if all the frequencies were fluctuating, giving the final shape some real organic movements.

User operated frequencies/LFO?

Categories
sketches

Sketch 4 Float

I made Float using all the skills I have learnt throughout this unit: Simpler, Sampler, Drift, Midi controls in addition to Wavetable. I tried a new technique while working on this piece, though out you can hear drum samples which I arpeggiated to add a stuttering effect, I then set each sample to be played with a random LFO which can be heard best from around 1:40 – 1:50. This was also my first time using wavetable synthesis while really understanding it, and I pleased with the outcome, this track is just a vibe. It features a piece that Cameron, Jack and Vic were working on during class though out, but I think the two pieces compliment each other very well. This is the reason why I have enjoyed recording with my phone so much rather than bouncing out the track. My intention is not to have a perfect track but to capture the moment surrounding it.

Categories
creative sound projects

CSP Supportive Text

I am incredibly excited about the release of “Sketches,” a four-track compilation that stands out due to its unique creation process. The journey of “Sketches” began with an unfortunate event but ended with a surprisingly positive outcome. This project emerged from a situation that initially seemed disastrous: my laptop suddenly stopped working and refused to power up, leaving me devastated. My laptop had been my primary tool for composing music, housing several ideas and projects that I had been meticulously developing. My typical approach involved creating music in the comfort of my home, usually in the evening, hunched over my laptop, carefully crafting and refining each piece. I was constantly tweaking sounds as inspiration struck, aiming to achieve perfection.

However, “Sketches” was born under entirely different circumstances. With my laptop out of commission, I was forced to leave my usual creative space and adapt to a new environment. I had to use different equipment and software at the university campus, which significantly changed my workflow. This abrupt shift pushed me out of my comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory, but it also opened up new possibilities.

The resulting sound of the tracks on “Sketches” is fresh, new, and exciting. This project marks my first few ventures into using Ableton, a software I had not extensively worked with before. I found Ableton to be incredibly intuitive, making it easy to experiment and explore new ideas. This new toolset allowed me to incorporate different techniques into each track, giving “Sketches” a distinctive and innovative sound.

The process of creating “Sketches” taught me invaluable lessons about making the best out of bad situations and being resourceful. Faced with the loss of my usual equipment, I had to adapt quickly and find new ways to bring my musical ideas to life. This experience made me less precious about my projects; I became more comfortable with the idea of letting go and deleting files after recording, focusing instead on the spontaneity and rawness of the creative process.

Overall, “Sketches” is a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability. What began as a frustrating setback turned into an opportunity for growth and exploration. The tracks on this compilation are a reflection of the unexpected journey I undertook, characterised by a willingness to embrace change and experiment with new techniques. Each piece in “Sketches” carries a sense of freshness and innovation, born from the necessity to create under different circumstances.

In essence, “Sketches” represents a turning point in my creative process. It embodies the idea that sometimes, being pushed out of our comfort zones can lead to remarkable outcomes. The challenges I faced while creating this compilation ultimately led to a more dynamic and versatile approach to production. As a result, “Sketches” is not just a collection of tracks but a narrative of resilience, adaptability, and the exciting possibilities that arise from embracing the unknown. I am eager for listeners to experience the unique sound and story behind “Sketches,” a project that has redefined my approach to making music and has resulted in something extra special.

Categories
sketches

Sketch 3 no human is an island

In this session we were going through Collision, Ableton’s mallet/ percussion synth. I often use bell sounds within my work and that influenced the way I approached the sound design in Collision, creating a relatively low pitch bell sound with reverb that grounds the track. The other elements were patched in simpler and drift. I set some of the parameters like filter cutoff and LFO rate to be controlled via midi controller to add add to the performance.

Categories
sketches

Sketch 2 I have no mouth and I must scream

In this track, I made use of the jitter function on Ableton’s LFOs to create tension throughout the piece. All throughout this unit I have enjoyed using LFOs to my advantage to create subtle movements within my work and to add interest. As the name of this track suggests, frustration with my situation is the theme of this piece. As I draw closer to the end of term I am learning to make the best of a bad situation, creating these sketches has been fun and I will continue to do so. Using my phone as the recording device has also been a pleasant surprise, talking and clicking become part of the track, not only capturing the piece but the moment surrounding it too.