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About 5035 The Art of Sound and Noise

It has fundamentally changed my perception of sound. By creating breakfast ASMR and footstep sound exploration videos, I have experienced complete auditory training from micro to macro.

When making breakfast ASMR, the daily "noises" such as the sizzling of fried eggs and the crispy sound of chewing show rich rhythm and texture under attentive listening. This made me understand that the boundaries between noise and music are relative and depend entirely on the context and attitude of listening.

In the process of exploring footsteps, I found that there is an interesting interaction between sound and space. The same footsteps tell completely different stories on the ground of different materials, which made me understand the concept of "soundscape" firsthand.

The biggest gain of this course is that I personally experienced the meaning of noise. Now when I walk on the road, I will unconsciously pay attention to the rustling of leaves in the wind and the vague conversations in the distance, which are once overlooked sound details that constitute a three-dimensional auditory world. Sound is no longer the background sound of life, but an important dimension of perceiving the world. This awareness is the most precious gift this course has brought me.

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Assignment2---Summary and impressions of walking non-stop

These sounds we record together constitute a kind of "soundscape". In simple terms, it is the sum of all the sounds of a place, including the sounds of nature, the environment, and human activities. If you don't watch the video and only focus on the sound, you can hear the hard marble space, which is a clear and cold echo, full of the sense of order of the artificial space; The soft falling flower trail is surrounded by various sounds of nature. Each space has its own unique sound characteristics.

After completing this more than six minutes of sound exploration video, looking back, it is actually a standard "sound walk" practice. As scholar Andra McCartney said, sound walking is walking and listening attentively, which focuses on the relationship between the stroller and the surrounding sound environment. So, we took the recording equipment and walked on different grounds, and the core purpose was to listen and record the atmosphere of footsteps in different spaces.

This process is similar to a type of meditation, but the difference is that instead of listening to your inner voice, you are connecting with the outside world. When we walk on wooden floors, marble, grass and falling flower trails, we must block out other distractions and focus only on the sound produced when our feet come into contact with the ground. This allows us to discover how much rich sound details we usually overlook.

Finally, we want to invite the audience to join us in re-experiencing the walking we are accustomed to with our ears. Sound Walk does not require advanced techniques, just listen with your ears. Through this creation, I deeply realized that as long as you are willing to quiet down and listen carefully, the most ordinary daily life can become extremely vivid and charming.

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Summary of the production difficulties of "Walking Non-stop"

In summary, this production is a process of constantly fighting against uncertainty and seeking optimal solutions in the constraints of technology and art.

During the production of "Walking Non-Stop", we encountered many challenges, which mainly focused on three aspects: technical implementation, environmental control and artistic expression, which posed a severe test to the execution of the project.

First of all, on a technical level, the biggest challenge is how to capture the sound of "pure" footsteps. The Sennheiser MKH416 microphone we use is extremely sensitive and can be an amplifier for ambient noise while bringing rich detail. In the seemingly quiet wooden hall, the low-frequency hum of the air conditioning system and the vague conversation of the crowd in the distance are hidden, which are intertwined with the resonant reverberation of footsteps, making the footsteps of the space not pure enough. At the same time, in outdoor scenes, wind noise has become an almost unsolvable problem. Despite the addition of a professional windproof sweater to the microphone, the "pop" sound of the breeze blowing through the microphone on the jacaranda trail and grass can still seriously interfere with or even cover the subtle sound of the footsteps, forcing us to repeatedly wait for the "windless gap" to record, which greatly affects work efficiency. However, some loud ambient sounds sound good instead, and we choose to keep these effective noises.

Secondly, at the environmental and execution levels, uncontrollable external factors continue to disrupt the filming plan. The uncontrollability of public space is the most prominent problem. The flow of people is unpredictable, and we often wait long to capture a continuous, distraction-free walking sound. For the specific scene of the jacaranda trail, a sudden gust of wind is enough to make the petals that cover the ground disappear.

Finally, on an artistic level, the difficulty stems from how to transform a "monotonous" theme into a "rich" experience. The sound of footsteps is essentially a repetitive sound element, and how to avoid making the work monotonous is a thoughtful thought throughout. We create changes in the auditory perspective by designing "microphone position experiments" – for example, recording in different positions of the feet, making different sound directions and enriching the sound effects. In terms of visuals, how to use a minimalist lens language that only focuses on ground texture and light and shadow to match the sound without making the audience feel visual fatigue, we must ensure that the picture not only serves the sound, but also has a calm and flowing poetry, which requires repeated scrutiny of the composition, duration and movement of each shot.

In summary, this production is a process of constantly fighting against uncertainty and seeking optimal solutions in the constraints of technology and art.

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Assignment 2--- Summary of the preliminary work that is Walking Non-stop

This project "Walking Non-stop" aims to complete an immersive sound video work by recording footsteps on different grounds through the system. The project has successfully completed all the preliminary preparations, and the process and summary are reported as follows:

The core result of the early stage is that we not only clarify "what to do", but also plan "how to do it" more clearly. Technically, a stable equipment combination and detailed experimental plan provide a guarantee for capturing high-quality sound material. Artistically, the minimalist visual style positioning ensures the dominance of the sound and avoids audio-visual interference.

Preliminary production process

Concept deepening and program establishment:

The core concept is to use the sound of footsteps as a "probe" to "auditory mapping" the space.

It is clear that four scenes with distinct acoustic and visual characteristics, such as a hall with wooden floors, marble floors of different materials, grass, and jacaranda falling flower paths, are used as recording objects to form a rich contrast.

The final form of the work was determined to be an immersive video led by sound and supplemented by visuals.

Technical and artistic preparation:

Equipment Confirmation: Determine the core recording system with MixPre-3 recorder and Sennheiser MKH416 shotgun microphone to ensure professional recording quality and detail capture.

Recording scheme design: Detailed recording methods are formulated, different walking rhythms are formulated, and the characteristics of different surfaces are presented. The "microphone position experiment" and "walking rhythm experiment" were planned to explore the influence of the best recording point and rhythm on the spatial atmosphere.

Field Survey and Testing:

Field trips were conducted in four planned scenarios to assess environmental noise, light conditions, and crowd disturbances over different time periods.

During the survey, a preliminary recording test was carried out to verify the feasibility of the equipment configuration, and the wind noise problem that may occur when recording on soft ground such as grass and flower paths was predicted in advance, and solutions such as windproof sweaters were prepared.

2. Preliminary summary

In short, the project was fully prepared, with a clear concept, technical, and artistic direction, laying a solid foundation for the next on-site recording and post-production.

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The record of assignment 1 --- the inspiration for breakfast ASMR

ASMR is a sound experience that makes people feel relaxed and comfortable through sound. It is especially popular on YouTube, TikTok now. Here, people unanimously like to hear someone talking softly, tapping on objects, swiping the microphone, or recording the little sounds of life. What was originally just something some people listen to to help them fall asleep or relieve anxiety has now become a globally popular content genre. People don't just listen to relaxation, they also use ASMR as a new way of life and artistic expression.

The reason I do "breakfast ASMR" is that every breakfast moment is the quietest and most peaceful moment of my day. I want to hear what sounds are in life in this quietest moment. What kind of scene can be reproduced through these sounds? The sounds of making breakfast in the morning—the sizzling of eggs in the pan, the crispy toast, the sound of milk pouring into cups—are particularly healing sounds. They make people feel warm and reassured. For me, making breakfast ASMR is more than just recording sounds, allowing me to hear sounds that I hadn't paid attention to. Let me slow down in the fast-paced life, and let me feel the truth and tranquility in life again.

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Feelings about Mixed Reality Production

Nowadays, VR technology is widely used, and according to my experience, I have only seen some "roller coaster" videos and "bring cultural relics to life" interactive design on the Internet before. This semester, I learned about the use of VR glasses, the software for creating VR works, and the use of Insta360 cameras, and for the first time I felt that VR works can be warm, and they are technological works that integrate our emotions.

At present, most VR works are related to art, such as immersive performances and digital collections, which make artworks alive by reconstructing people's experiences. Like the two projects we practiced this semester, we blended our personal emotions to create unforgettable moments and moments in the moment, so that the inner emotions could be visualized.

In addition, the Tumblr platform used to post the blog was my first time using it, and I watched a lot of interesting works here, and learned wonderful creative ideas and techniques from them.

I am very happy to learn this course, and maybe one day in the future, when I have some unforgettable moments, I will choose to save it with VR technology.

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Comments on VR works

I often come across this piece of work and each time I see it, I have a different experience of the author's emotions. The author has presented his own feelings through VR art. In my opinion, he has made good use of the brush and has his own design points.

The rhythm of the video is very interesting. The visual experience at the beginning is completely different from that at the end, with a strong visual impact that leaves people to think. At the beginning of the video, there are colorful flowers, giving us a pleasant visual experience. Until the end of the video, we find a black figure in the flower bed, and this figure might be the author himself or represent a certain type of people.

The use of music is in line with the theme, but I think if scene sounds and brush sounds were added, it might give a more realistic feeling.

In short, this is a great VR work about expressing the mind. Through this work, I have realized that the human mind has colors.

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Project2 Statement

The theme of this project is about the immersive experience of hiking. In the cooler season, it is an exciting experience to go into the forest in search of the source of water, and in the process of finding water, you can be healed by nature and leave all your worries behind. Through this Insta360 shooting project, we experienced the interesting experience and profound meaning brought by the VR project. For this project, we used two devices: Insta360 and ZoomH3, a VR voice recorder. We designed the first perspective and the spectator view, following the camera to find the water source, and the spectator perspective to record the actor's walking and searching. When editing, the two perspectives are switched, giving the audience a contemplative look. We edited in the PR, readjusted the sounds recorded during the shoot, and downloaded ambiences and background music suitable for our project on the sound website, which added a lot of sparkle to our work. In addition, we wrote a narration that fits the theme based on the experience of hiking, and this narration has a certain philosophical nature, and uses this narration to drive the audience's thinking and feelings. In short, this ins360 immersive experience was a fun and challenging project, through which I learned how to edit VR videos for the first time, and it was also the first time to think about how to make VR video sound more possibilities.

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WEEK 4 HOMEWORK - responding to presentation about immersive story telling

Space is narrative. By creating a kitchen space, the audience is led into the kitchen to make food with the help of scanned objects, specific music and narration. By using VR glasses to explore the scanned food, seasoning bottles and some kitchen utensils, the audience will have a real feeling about the kitchen space. We transform any information in the kitchen into visuals and sounds, and we can also place some models in styly to help make the space more rich. In our project 1, we plan to choose a suitable music to set the atmosphere, use narration to explain the steps of food preparation and the impression of the kitchen space, so that the audience can experience the life of overseas students.

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project2

The idea was to do an immersive, multi-perspective experience for the Blue Mountains. Use insta360 to capture interesting moments in the Blue Mountains, simulating the perspective of grass, mushrooms, and insects to show undiscovered moments. Then use the brush to draw some atmospheric lines and smoke to enrich these perspectives and lead people into strange perspectives. Maybe you can make a sprite model in Blender and follow the sprite through streams, hillsides, and forests. In the midst of this, you may not be curious about the special angle of view when shooting on Instagram360, and how to make a humanoid model with Blender has never been done before. However, if each link can be done well, and with the right music, this should be a very interesting immersive multi-perspective experience work.

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project1

I have three thoughts on project1 The first is to scan the kitchen and scan the production process of Chinese specialties. For Chinese students, growing up begins with recreating the taste of their hometown in the kitchen of a rental house. When the small kitchen stove is full of Chinese ingredients and Chinese music, the heat of the food flutters upward, and the longing for hometown reaches its peak at this moment. The second is to scan supermarket shelves from a child's perspective. Observing life from the perspective of children, they see the legs of adults like a forest, and they cannot see the goods on the high-rise shelves, and they will fight for the goods they want from adults in a noisy way. By simulating a child's perspective, people can experience the feeling of depression from the child's perspective. The third is to choose a piece of music and use Blender to make some movement lines to visualize the melody of the music. As the music rises and falls, and the color of the music changes, the color of the picture also changes, and the speed of line movement changes.

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Capturing Spring in 3D: My Kitchen Scans & Spring Roll Memories

Living abroad, I’ve been craving those spring-only Chinese treats—like fresh spring rolls. So I followed online tutorials to make them in my tiny apartment kitchen. Every time I stood in the kitchen, I’d picture my mom cooking back home. Now I can make them just as smoothly as she does, and I wanted to freeze this moment somehow.

For this project, I handled the 3D modeling and sound design. We used Polycam, 3D Scanner, and CutCap to scan everything. When the 3D scans captured the crispy folds of the spring rolls, the messy spice bottles on the stove, and the flour smudges on the counter, it felt like the scanning process itself became a warm, personal ritual. Adding voiceovers and music later tied everything together.

Two big challenges popped up:

Scanning scale issues—big kitchen scenes vs. tiny props needed different software tricks.

Sound design—I struggled to layer rich audio textures.

But through this, I started seeing how VR could map "psychogeography"—how spaces hold emotional memories.

In the end, I hope these scans of my kitchen and spring rolls can let others feel the magic of China’s springtime flavors—those fleeting, seasonal bites that taste like home.

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There is a performance artist in China named Zhang Boyi. He wrote his longing for his mother under a bridge and recorded it. This attracted many people to come and take photos. Everyone was touched by the sincere words under the bridge. As a result, others also imitated Zhang Boyi and wrote their own little poems under the bridge or on the bridge pillars. Whenever people passed by the bridge with or without words, the emotions about their mothers and the words would be revealed. These bridge holes have thus become an emotional tree hole of a city. This kind of expression method that combines words, photography and urban architecture is a type of psychogeography.