B M

SOUND ART AND DESIGN RESEARCH

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CV

censored so i don’t get pranked by 4 chan

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Self Reflection

Since beginning the Sound Art & Design BA, I feel that I have been given space to develop independently as an artist whilst taking advantage of the wide range of learning opportunities we have been given as a class.

The assignment which allowed me the most creative freedom, and which was most relevant to my work outside of university, was ‘Sense of Place’. The composition of my soundscape involved a lot of independent learning and research through visiting exhibitions (such as The Infinite Mix and Requests and Antisongs), reading (such as Sinister Resonance by David Toop, as was recommended to me by Matthias Kispert, and experimentation with the recording equipment which we have access to.

I learned about recording techniques, simple mixing techniques in Pro Tools,

Upon receiving a C- for my submission and reading the reasons for the grade, I felt as if certain aspects of the piece had been misinterpreted. However, on re-reading the programme note, I realised that I had not explained my artistic intentions well enough. I looked over my notes for the presentation and, while it contained references to the dynamic range being deliberately high (the quality which, according to the feedback sheet, appeared to be the main problem), I realised that I had possibly skipped this part of the presentation due to time constraints. Had I spoken about this I imagine that, rather than being due to a lack of knowledge about DRC, it would have been addressed as (whether good or bad) an artistic decision. This has made me aware of the importance of clear communication in both programme notes and presentations, and this is something I fully intend to work on in the future.

While I was initially disappointed in myself for receiving a lower grade than expected in the piece, it forced me to apply myself when writing the following assignment. In my Sound Culture essay, I wrote about a topic which I am very interested in and which feeds into my music work on a daily basis: the use of real-world sound in music and soundscape compositions. Compared to the prior essay (ISAD EL1) I carried out more independent research, made sure to incorporate my own knowledge of the topic and improved on the weaknesses discussed in the feedback for my essay on Khalil Joseph’s m.A.A.d. Due to my greater effort and investment in the essay, I managed to receive an A- grade, which I was certainly happy with.

I hope to continue tracking my progress throughout the year on this blog, as rereading it has provided me with a satisfying log of my artistic development over the past few months. I intend to make an effort to make writing here a more regular activity, as I feel as if a lot has been missed out, and that I will regret not having a more consistent journal.

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I really enjoyed this EP when I was younger, and the way in which it was produced seems relevant to my Sound Culture essay. The artist samples real-world ‘concrete’ sounds and plays them using MIDI.

He also has a website (www.associativemusic.com) which explains the intent behind this production method. It’s written in a really fun, conceited way which is nice.

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Soundscape Feedback

I have received my grade for the Sound Creation and Manipulation Element 1 hand in. Considering the amount of time and effort I put in to its production, I’m disappointed in myself for not having earned a higher grade (I received a C-).

The key issue appears to be with the dynamics. Although I mentioned in my presentation that the wide dynamic range is very deliberate (I felt that tension was achieved during the quieter passages, allowing for moments such as the roar to have a greater impact), I believe that this was interpreted as a mistake rather than an artistic choice. In my next practical submission, I will make sure to really clarify if something that could be perceived as an error is in fact deliberate.

Another issue mentioned was that clipping occurs at one point, although this is in fact a tape saturation plug-in which I used to distort the ‘bang’ sound (which was a kick drum recorded into the NTG-2) into something more abstract.

I will ensure to work on my presentation delivery (I found it difficult to include everything I intended to in the five minutes allotted) to avoid the lack of communication, and my failure to fully explain my artistic intentions, which I feel held me back from achieved the grade I’d hoped for.

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A BBC adaptation of M.R. James’ The Treasure of Abbot Thomas. Collected Ghost Stories by M.R. James has acted as a source of inspiration throughout the production of my soundscape, and I feel that this adaptation is an appropriate example of James’ influence on my work.

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Images from inside the Ben Pimlott Building, where I recorded a large proportion of the sound for my project.

Taken by Louise Astbury

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EXT & INT Recordings

On visiting Nunhead cemetery, I found a dilapidated building which looks like a small church and made recordings of myself shaking a large metal gate, which I will incorporate into the soundscape.

 I also visited the Goldsmiths Ben Pimlott building with my girlfriend. I had her stand with the Røde NTG-2 at the bottom of a staircase which goes all the way to the top, and record me walking and running up and down the stairs. As it is a busy staircase, it was difficult to avoid unwanted noise, such as people’s voices and other footsteps. However, staying there for around an hour making several attempts allowed for a few clean recordings to be made.

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Final Concept: Clock Tower

I now have a backlog of recordings made both with the CS-10EM Binaural microphones and the Røde NTG-2. It mostly consists of exterior ambient sound, exterior and interior footsteps at different paces (running and walking) and interior sounds such as a chandelier, doors slamming, etc.

Listening through the sounds, I’ve decided to compile them into a narrative sound piece from the perspective of a protagonist who, walking outside, is hit by something unknown (perhaps a car or an attacker), blacks out and awakens whilst being dragged to a clock tower. They are left inside and chased out by a threatening presence, and manage to find their way back to safety.

I plan to visit Nunhead cemetery to record footsteps on gravel, and will also make recordings in a large space (ideally a tower) to achieve this.

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Adjust / Compromise

I’m changing the concept for my soundscape. It will be an attempt to capture an almost gothic atmosphere, similar to the eerie church idea. Once I have refined the concept I will post about it here.

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Binaural Recording - Second Attempt

The Edirol / CS-10EM combination works, and the uncanny three-dimensional sound effect is more effective than I had expected. I presume that this is to do with the fact that, since the recordings have been made with my head acting as a ‘dummy head’, the recordings are more effective than if I were to listen to binaural recordings made by someone else. As exciting as this was, I began to worry that, due to the size of my massive head, the binaural effects would not be particularly accurate to other listeners.

In order to test the effectiveness of my recordings, I experimented in my home. I sat at the bottom of my staircase and recorded until my housemate walked downstairs past me. I then told another housemate to sit where I had been sitting, and played him the recording. While it was playing, he turned to look up the stairs to see who was walking down towards him. When he realised that nobody was there, I decided that my experiment had been a success.

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Binaural Recording & Compatibility Issues

Having for a long time been interested in binaural recording techniques, I’ve decided take advantage of having access to university equipment and attempt to incorporate them into my soundscape. However, any recordings I make using the Roland CS-10EM binaural mics and Zoom H4n are quiet to the point of being virtually inaudible, and if I turn the gain up it results in there being too much noise for practical use. 

I’ve researched online and found that there can be compatibility issues between certain recorders and microphones, so have booked out a Roland Edirol recorder in the hope that, as the microphones and recorder are made by the same company, I can avoid issues with compatibility.

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Some thoughts on the music and ambiences of Dark Souls. The structure of when to play music, and what kind, can be an opportunity to reinforce an underlying theme of a game. This post is originally from my personal blog at david-canela.com/blog.

Continuing the Dark Souls theme.

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I’ve been playing Dark Souls 3 and the ambient sounds in the game achieve a lot of what I hope to with my soundscape project. I’ve found a playlist of videos dedicated to capturing the aural ambience of the first game which is worth listening to.

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James Richards presents new and recent works which continue his ongoing exploration of collage, installation and sound.

Visited this today. Downstairs was a sound installation which did not particularly hold my attention - a six-channel audio setup called Crumb Mahogany. However, I very much enjoyed Radio At Night, an audiovisual piece with ominous imagery and what sounded like chopped up vocal sounds layered to create a warm, rich sound accompaniment.

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Church

Having attempted to find a church in which to record, I have found that the ones nearby are either closed outside of service hours or charge for entry. I’m not paying to go into a church, so I’m going to have to come up with an alternative method of creating the sound of a church.

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Learning but also Fear

In preparation for the production of my soundscape, I’ve taken out a Sound Kit from the ORB. I visited central London and made a few hours worth of recordings using the Zoom H4n and the Røde NTG-2 shotgun mic, and encountered an unexpected capability of the microphone. I was attempting to capture the sound of a lake in a park, and realised that if I pointed the microphone at a fountain (even from around 50 metres away) it would pick the sound up nearly completely isolated. To an even more extreme degree, I realised that, if I pointed in very slightly different directions, it would pick up the sound of each separate stream of the fountain. I was surprised by the degree of accuracy achievable by this microphone, and am looking forward to using it more frequently.

On a side note, I walked through Downing Street with the shotgun mic and pistol grip. Considering that the names of these items are also quite accurate descriptors of their appearance, when I saw armed police officers I didn’t hesitate to hide my equipment in my bag.

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Soundscape Plan

For my soundscape project, I hope to capture the atmosphere from inside a church. My associations with churches stem from my childhood, during which I perceived my local church as an unpleasant, intimidating environment. If I am able to record sound inside an empty church, I believe that I will be able to manipulate and arrange these sounds in order to convey the desired emotions and sense of place.