Category: Specialisation module

After recording our sounds we then uploaded all our recordings into our shared folder onto the google drive. We discussed how we would approach the collaboration. I decided to contrast the recordings after listening to their field recordings. We discussed how even though there was a lot of difference there was more similarities within the recordings. I found that if i blended these and created a narrative it would create a diverse soundscape.

Here is the outcome.

Dereck De Abreu Coelho Same But Different,

When thinking about the idea for my Sound envelope idea I looked back to our sessions discussing what the common themes were between the field recordings. For me what stood out was the similarities between both places, being Hong Kong & London. When listening back to the participants recordings I felt at times that the recordings contrasted well when combined. I decided to use different recordings from specific areas together to create a narrative. Guiding you through parks, busy streets & markets. Finishing with river and ocean recordings.

Before setting out to my field recording session i decided to write down several locations before hand to think about what i was going to record and more importantly what my sonic landscape was. I also felt like i should share specific sonic soundscapes that are different to Hong Kong. Literally a gift, like a tourist adventure in sound to share with them.

When recording after initially beginning with the locations i planned, i found myself cycling with the recorder and letting my ears lead me to the sounds i found attractive. Or had some sort of quality that made it i wanted to capture it. These were some of the outcomes.

I felt really happy with the outcome. I think the varied recordings and not all of them could fit into this blog post has built an immersive soundscape of my soundscapes.

I signed up for a collaborative project with students from hong kong called sound envelope. In our first session to discuss the idea of what sound envelope is, lead by Ryo Ikeshiro (SoundLab, School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong).

The idea of sound envelope was inspired by chinese culture. When it’s someones birthday or they’ve achieved something you offer them an envelope. Which usually has money inside. Ryo wanted to continue this gift sharing idea but for soundscapes and field recordings. London and Hong Hong which are two cities that have had a lot of history together culturally.

Our task was to record field recordings around our city of things we found were our sonic landscapes. and then create a piece to reflect/contrast the Hong Kong recordings to our own or perhaps not.

In milos lecture we were handed a card from his Oblique Strategies deck and mine said “Do Nothing”. I find this interesting as i feel i usually end up not necessarily doing nothing but feeling distracted.

My work ethic is going extremely fanatic and obsessed and working overtime until i complete the project and then extreme downtime to let living and life influence me. “Do Nothing” can be interpreted in a way as i do not often do nothing. As even going on my phone, or watching a movie to relax isn’t nothing but a semi conscious aware state.

I find in todays modern age we have machines and programs/apps designed to soak our attention span. To make us constantly feel like we’re missing out or need to check on what’s going on. I think i will try to schedule in some time to do nothing. To walk in the park and lie down and just listen to my environment.

I read the article on the discussion of this movie. What really stood out to me was a few things, number one was. The removal of the voice of “god”, the voice overs we usually receive in documentary type pieces that almost remove us from immersion. This tends to as written “creates a less than centred objectifying gaze on migrants ” Which i found interesting as well. To think that instead of seeing it as an observational video we feel like we are on this journey with the migrants. Instead of this over seeing god watching down. Again another technique that can do a lot to the visuals.

After reading this article from Brett Ashleigh where she notes her thoughts about the techniques and approaches towards the sound design and story telling used in “We Need to Talk About Kevin”. I found it interesting how she mentions the decisions with the stems was to split up the the story to the audio. That they all worked together separately, the music/score, sound effects, and dialogue.

The narrative spoken with separate mediums working divorced from each other as Brett says is a new way of communicating story. As is two messages are happening at once. The use of acousmatic sounds to convey a feminine message isn’t something i was aware of but it does make sense. To not rely on on language to convey the message.

Helen Cixous’s revolutionary treatise The Laugh of the Medusa introduced the theory of l’ecriture féminine says Brett. Feminine cinematic art has the ability to display a narrative that depends on emotional and affective techniques rather than those based in language.

I think this technique is really interesting, i’ve always known that sound/music can effect the viewers perception but i never thought it in a patriarchal sense. I guess male and female humans have a different way of embracing their sonic landscapes and it wouldn’t make sense for the movie to depict the trauma the mother is going through with the same techniques used for a male leading movie. This blog post has made me think about sound techniques to convey story differently than before. I never thought to think about conveying the thoughts of character on screen from their specific POV (point of view) soundscape experience.

Going of the ideas we had in the lecture we all were given a task to create one part of the piece using synthesisers only. I decided to go for the middle chaotic lighting storm part as i felt i could embrace that part mostly. And it would allow me to be more experimental than the other parts. When creating the piece i was feeling a bit grumpy and stressed out and i think this enhanced the creative process.

When creating the piece i started out with a max for live instruments available on Ableton and i wanted to create a room tone or background drone sounds before creating the others.

I started using the Tree Tone synthesiser and it creates natural drone sounds based off natures architecture of trees. The arms on the trees create different resonance frequencies and on the left you can change certain parameters. I then resampled it onto another audio track as its a generator and does record the output onto its track.

I also used the wavetable synth messed around until i got a sound i felt embraced the chaos. I picked out a waveform and frequency resonance that didn’t clash with the original drone sound set as i wanted to attempt to fill out the complete frequency spectrum of the lightning part.

My effects process was also based of experimentation and trial and error. Using overdrive to dirty up the sounds and delay/ eq to mix it accordingly to my vision. A thing i found interesting was when creating the piece and the synthesisers i initially started playing chords for the piece. Which i felt was strange and not something i wanted to do. I wanted to create noise, a primordial soup sort of soundscape. No order just pure chaos.

The most funnest part was the vector fm, i really went crazy with it and added lots of fx that added towards the chaotic energy. Delays, bit crushing. Echo, redux effect.

i layered up a few vector synths and changed and pitched plus resampled to add octave automation.

this was the outcome which i felt very happy with, i’m not usually to into synthesisers but i think i’ve always used them in a musical sense but for sound design this was so much fun.

In class we discussed the idea of a metaphorical storm and how that would be created. We also spoke about the development and order of a “storm”. The composition and structure of a sound piece.

We spoke about the calm before the storm and how it should start simple, perhaps slow and setting the scene. Then to possibly change its tonality and consonance and develop into the lighting part. The chaos, the thunder the crazy eq going from loud to quiet. Filling out the frequency spectrum once it reaches the peak point and explodes. Then to decrease and reach a state of the same but different towards the ending.

I found this related a lot to my music production ideas of arrangement and structure. But the main difference being its not about music but how sound can take you on a journey and how us as sound artists are capable of creating a structured or perhaps not structured piece that has thought and reasoning behind it.

My existing practice as it stands currently ranges from song writing and rapping. I enjoy making musical instrumentals and slightly abstract ones as well. Mainly using hardware samplers as well as Ableton. I like to use cassette machines/multi track portastudio. Reel to Reel as well. I enjoy recording field recording for multiple uses. I engage in creating and curating DIY music shows. I release and market my own music releases on streaming and vinyl & cassette. Including artwork creation and execution. Music videos directed edited and shot by myself as well. The idea of sound recycling is something i find interesting, of reusing sounds in different contexts.

I hope to learn more about synthesisers and the parameters effectively. To process field recordings effectively. And to work as a team on a Collaboration through multi media. The last thing is mixing & mastering as this is something i’ve struggled with before.

This will take me into the sound design area of work. More collaboration using my sound art skills. Combine sound with more visual art and visual synthesisers. Potentially combine my sp404sx with a Roland p-10. ( if i can afford it)

Escape Cave.

The idea of escape cave is based off my 1st year experiences and current work. I’ve found a huge passion is escapism with sound. Recording sounds of nature & outdoor sounds without pollution. Something therapeutic about it that makes me feel at peace. The idea of the Escape Cave goes back to most peoples inner childhood. Duvet/Sofa/Blanket forts. Made us feel safe as children and as if we were in a secret location hidden away from everyone. I’m also heavily into visual arts as a collaborative aspect to go with sound. The idea i had was to shoot a short film based on landscapes around Scotland land with 16mm or super 8 film camera.

Then to add my own field recordings and audio to create a 10 minute soundscape/landscape visual/audio experience. The audio experience would be quadraphonic to create bigger immersion. I would then play the film through a projector inside the fort that would be created at the venue.

The participant would have to go inside and sit and watch the immersive experience in a safe environment away from the world for a 10 minutes.