Short sounds

Create 5 sketches of extremely short pitched sounds. Play with the boundary of your ability to perceive the pitch of the sounds. Create 5 more sketches of sets of multiple short sounds (use those generated in the first sketches if you like).

Some short sounds:

short one

short two

short three

short four

short five

short six

For the next part of the project, I used an external Max module (FileplayerBP). This let me play back a set of pre-existing sounds files in a random order. I used the short sounds I’d already generated, and generated multiples that way (I also altered the delay between the sounds – in the last few, it gets shortened every time).

multiple one

multiple two

multiple three

multiple four

multiple five

multiple six

“Mushroom” – Image to Audio Performance

Prepare for in-class sketch performance next week. This week you will be assigned on of the following three images to serve as your score: John Cage’s signature, a William Anastasi drawing (made on a subway trip to play chess with Cage), or this mushroom print.

The manner in which the image becomes the score is up to you, and can be automated or interpretive. Performances will be given as trios (1 player for each image). Prior to class post one sketch of a sample of your work.

For my “image analysis” performance, I was assigned the mushroom print. For my analysis, I typed out the paragraph of text from the website which describes the process of creating the print, and used the ascii values and keycodes of the text as variables in my Max patch. The ascii code was the ‘x’ value, and the keycode was the ‘y’, and those co-ordinates were used to return RGB values (to make sure I didn’t receive a limited range of values, I kept an iterated character count as I typed, and added this to the variables). These RGB values were in turn fed into “cycle~” objects, each value as a different frequency (so, basically, I did some really simple additive synthesis). Lastly, trying to add a little more variety (though I kinda regret this now, I think it ruined the, ahem, ‘conceptual purity’ of the exercise), I did FM synthesis, creating a frequency ratio using the same x and y values, and iterating the amplitude of the modulator. This made my sounds more squelchy. The effect was meant to slowly grow over time (mimicking the mushroom layers), but in practice it was noticeable a little too soon.

(image)

(patch)

Noise Math 1

Find at least three unique noise sources (math, recordings, etc.). Generate 10 sketches in which you explore noise in its various forms.

1. Technique: recorded samples, then used noise algorithm (generated mathematically and using pink~ object) to play back from random places in the buffer. (math),(pink object).

samples, randomly played -

clap

whistle

ooh

crumple (using pink nose object)

2. Technique: using Java, set up a camera to record the ‘noisy’ pixels found in black space.

Movie:

camnoise 1

camnoise 2

camnoise 3

3. Technique: Noise made up of even numbers only.

(Image)

evennoise

Noise Hunt

Search for noise. Take any short sound (probably in .wav or .aif format, possibly others, but mp3 does not work well), and open it in a text editor such as BBEdit. You will see more or less garbage. Leaving aside the first hundred characters or so (which contain header information about the file) edit the file in any way you see fit. Cut and paste sections from one place to another. Rearrange lines. Reverse or sort sections of text. Munge it with a perl script. Paste in an email.

Some edits will have more interesting results than others. Many edits may have no result, or make your file unplayable – be persistent. Continue incrementally until the source material is unrecognizable.

1. Original sound/Noisified (using ‘find and replace’, a very subtle hiss was added).

2. Original sound/Noisified (yet more find/replacement, with larger areas and more random)

3. Original sound (Jeremy Irons reading ‘Lolita’)/Noisified(1), (2) (Latter using repeated symbols to ‘compose’)

4. Original sound (Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind”) /Noisified(1),(2) (First composing with text patterns, then excessive find/replace until almost completely unrecognizable

5. Original sound (Sonic Youth’s “Providence”)/Noisified (Replacing one character turned this into total sheets of unrecognizable noise)

6. Original sound (Isaac Matafwani’s “Eko Bali Mukanina Bamayo”)/Noisified (same effect, total noise).

RM/AM/FM Synthesis

FM: Squelchy sound made with a modulation ratio of 1/7.

(sound)

(image)

FM: Interesting overtone sort-of descending melody, when carrier wave is at 492, modulator ratio is 266/40, and the modulator amplitude envelope peaks after the main amplitude envelope

with 492: (sound)

with 391: (sound)

(image)

Ring Mod: Carrier and modulator reversing frequencies (from 100 to 400hz).

(sound)

(image)

Additive Synthesis sketches

Create 10 sketches by combining sine waves. Control the sine waves over time to achieve timbral changes.

1. 30HZ rising in amplitude while 60HZ falls. (listen)

2. Same as 1, accompanied by 40Hz rising and 80 falling in amplitude. (listen)

3. Using 6 partials, at only odd-numbered (inharmonic?) frequencies. (listen)

4. Same, using even-numbered frequencies. (listen)

5. Using amplitudes that peak at concurrent times, we hear a range of frequencies, from 10 – 60, in 200ms. (listen)

Interactive Sound – Wave experiments

Find and use waves to generate sound. Basic oscillations in Max/MSP can be generated with the ~cycle object – which other ones can you find or develop? Push your waves into the extreme time and level domains discussed in the Roads reading (also note how the digital domain works with and against you in doing so).

Two sinusoidal waves added together, one at frequency 200, the other at 100 – listen

The same two, multiplied – listen

Sinusoidal wave at 200Hz added to one at 208Hz, point where rhythmic effect appears – listen

Two sine waves at 200Hz, the one informing the phase of the other (improperly recorded) – listen

Sine wave at 200Hz, phased from 0 to 1 over 70(ms?), looped, multiplied to unchanged 200Hz sine wave. – listen

Interactive Sound: Listening Exercises

Careful listening. Step 1 – listen out. Listen first to sounds near you, then proceed outward to the edge of your perception, attempting to hear sounds from as far away as possible. Step 2 – listen down. Find a repeatable sound, like footsteps, a keystroke on a keyboard, etc. Listen as closely as possible to this sound, attempting to perceive the sound not as a singular sonic “icon” but as a complex phenomenon with many components.

Listening Out:

I can feel the pressure of the wind on my ears, I hear a kind of ‘low frequency’ hum, or rumble. There are ‘soft’ scraping sounds, punctuated by short, piercing high frequencies, like ‘pin pricks’, all moving left to right. From my left ear, a low growl or murmur, with an irregular tinkle. Trying to listen ‘out’, it’s hard to tell if the wind is the closest or the furthest sound I’m hearing – between some sharp shrieks and sudden, rounded tones, there is a slowly modulating, constant, quiet wail. There are pieces of conversation occuring, in varying tones, they are extremely hard not to hear as language. Traffic noises still produce a moment of recognization, ‘icon-ification’. Very brief sharp tones in quick succession, little pulses.

Listening In:

Two tones, one higher than the next, almost a compressed melody. One sharp tone, followed by quick reverberations, occurring first as a singular sound, then separating out over time into discrete sounds, while decreasing in volume. (sample).