Sound

The Sound of Fun: A Brief Survey on the Soundscape of Amusement Places

by Alexander Verdoni

Written in 2011

A survey of common sounds found in public amusement environments and an analysis of their function. A survey of common sounds found in public amusement environments and an analysis of their function.

The Mechanics of Noise. Theatricality and the Automated Instrument in Heiner Goebbels' theatre and Pat Metheny's Jazz

by David Roesner

This book is a timely contribution to the emerging field of the aurality of theatre and looks in particular at the... more This book is a timely contribution to the emerging field of the aurality of theatre and looks in particular at the interrogation and problematisation of theatre sound(s). Both approaches are represented in the idea of ‘noise’ which we understand both as a concrete sonic entity and a metaphor or theoretical (sometimes even ideological) thrust.

Theatre provides a unique habitat for noise. It is a place where friction can be thematised, explored playfully, even indulged in: friction between signal and receiver, between sound and meaning, between eye and ear, between silence and utterance, between hearing and listening. In an aesthetic world dominated by aesthetic redundancy and ‘aerodynamic’ signs, theatre noise recalls the aesthetic and political power of the grain of performance.

‘Theatre noise’ is a new term which captures a contemporary, agitatory acoustic aesthetic. It expresses the innate theatricality of sound design and performance, articulates the reach of auditory spaces, the art of vocality, the complexity of acts of audience, the political in produced noises. Indeed, one of the key contentions of this book is that noise, in most cases, is to be understood as a plural, as a composite of different noises, as layers or waves of noises. Facing a plethora of possible noises in performance and theatre we sought to collocate a wide range of notions of and approaches to ‘noise’ in this book – by no means an exhaustive list of possible readings and understandings, but a starting point from which scholarship, like sound, could travel in many directions

Musical Representation of Sound in Computer-Aided Composition: A Visual Programming Framework

by Jean Bresson

Jean Bresson, Carlos Agon.
Journal of New Music Research, 36(4), 2007.

This article addresses the problem of the representation and creation of sound by synthesis in the context of music... more This article addresses the problem of the representation and creation of sound by synthesis in the context of music composition, as seen from the computer-aided composition (CAC) perspective. An important theoretical basis of this work is the concept of computer modelling, discussed in relation to the notions of sound representation and music composition. Modelling sound as a signal is extended to the musical domain by considering as an alternative modelling composition as an activity that aims to produce sounds. The visual programming paradigm is adopted for the representation and conception of the composition models, and therefore for the musical representation of sounds. A composition framework dedicated to electro-acoustic music and sound synthesis integrated in the OpenMusic CAC environment is presented. Temporal issues are also discussed and are the object of specific developments.

A Sound Map of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo

by John Kannenberg

Revised version of essay published in the compact disc released 2011 by 3Leaves.

Artist statement discussing the process and philosophy behind an hour-long soundscape composition created using field... more Artist statement discussing the process and philosophy behind an hour-long soundscape composition created using field recordings made at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during April and May 2010. The piece has since been released on compact disc and presented as a sound installation at the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology's 2011 conference in Corfu, Greece.

On Listening

by John Kannenberg

The importance of external and internal listening in relationship to wayfinding. The importance of external and internal listening in relationship to wayfinding.

Audio-visual poetics in interactive multimedia

by Scot Mcphee

Semi-Supervised Tree Support Vector Machine for Online Cough Recognition

by Thai Hoa Huynh

Pneumonia and asthma are among the top causes of death worldwide with 300 million people suffered . In the year 2005,... more Pneumonia and asthma are among the top causes of death worldwide with 300 million people suffered . In the year 2005, 255,000 people died only because of asthma [1]. Good controlling requires both proper medication and continual monitoring over days and nights. In this paper, we introduce a novel classifier, namely Semi-Supervised Tree Support Vector Machine, to target the problem of cough detection and monitoring. It will adaptively analyze the distribution of samples’ confidence metrics, automatically select the most informative samples and re-train the core Tree SVM classifier inside accordingly. Besides, we also introduce a new way to build Tree SVM, based on Fisher Linear Discriminant (FLD) analytic. All are meant to improve final system performance, and our proposed classifier has really demonstrated good improvement over conventional method; validated on a database consists of comprehensive body-sounds, recorded with wearable contact microphone.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: ITunes U, Podcasting and a Sonic Education

by Tara Brabazon

Interactions:  Studies in Communication and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, pp. 71-89

Soundstudio4D-A VR Interface for Gestural Composition of Spatial Soundscapes

by stephen barrass

Timing movements to interval durations specified by discrete or continuous sounds

by Matthew Rodger

Co-authored with Cathy M. Craig
Published in Experimental Brain Research, 2011

Understanding how the timing of motor output is coupled to sensory temporal information is largely based on... more Understanding how the timing of motor output is coupled to sensory temporal information is largely based on synchronisation of movements through small motion gaps (finger taps) to mostly empty sensory intervals (discrete beats). This study investigated synchronisation of movements between target barriers over larger motion gaps when closing time gaps of intervals were presented as either continuous, dynamic sounds, or discrete beats. Results showed that although synchronisation errors were smaller for discrete sounds, the variability of errors was lower for continuous sounds. Furthermore, finger movement between targets was found to be more sinusoidal when continuous sensory information was presented during intervals compared to discrete. When movements were made over larger amplitudes, synchronisation errors tended to be more positive and movements between barriers more sinusoidal, than for movements over shorter amplitudes. These results show that the temporal control of movement is not independent from the form of the sensory information that specifies time gaps or the magnitude of the movement required for synchronisation.

Acoustic Research for Architecture Studio

by Geolette Esguerra

Co-authored with Bronne Dytoc. Presented in Inter-University Seminar on Asian Megacities, Seoul, Korea, 2007.

This paper focuses on the employment of empirical data gathering of room acoustics, particularly, the classrooms of... more This paper focuses on the employment of empirical data gathering of room acoustics, particularly, the classrooms of the Mathematics building in University of the Philippines in the campus at Diliman, Quezon City. By using controlled settings in documenting the acoustic behavior of these particular rooms, designing for better performance is expanded from a practice of applying recognized standards, to an actual experience of how a room sounds.

The exercise gives the participants first hand experience of sounds in terms of intensity, reverberation, major frequency ranges, and their effect on the intelligibility of lectures. In cooperation with the Faculty of the Mathematics department, the problematic room became the site of as-built benchmark recordings using a hammer-board for an impulse sound source, and recorded speech of male and female voices for speech sound sources. Also used in the study  were basic equipments to generate sound and to record it into a laptop. In comparing these initial room recordings to open-field recordings, via the use of sound wave editing and analysis software, it was then easily understood how the room’s volume and hard surfaces generated excessive reverberation, particularly in the lower frequency range. General parameters of surface area, surface materials, and basic sound reflection diagrams were established for several mock-up applications into the said classrooms for subsequent room recordings.

The results of sequential combination of these parameters proved successful in improving the room’s performance in the problematic matters of excess reverberation and speech intelligibility. Not only did the design studio participants (and the Mathematics faculty) learn better by actually experiencing the sounds comparatively, the exercise also taught the value of empirical data documentation and how such data measured up against what standards recommended vs what actual people can hear and understand. With the effective learning acquired through this exercise, it is hoped that such research methods and directions can be encouraged in design studio to sharpen students’ architectural training and expand their future views of practice.

Ethical questions about working with soundscapes

by Andra McCartney

Keynote presentation at World Forum for Acoustic Ecology conference in Koli, Finland, June 2010. A shorter version of this paper has been published in the Soundscape Journal.

When soundscape composers, documentarians and artists work with soundscapes, they are expressing relationships to the... more When soundscape composers, documentarians and artists work with soundscapes, they are expressing relationships to the place of work and its inhabitants and visitors, to the sounds listened to, recorded from or projected into the place, and to the audience of the work. Each time a soundscape composer designs a soundwalk or a theatre piece, an installation or broadcast work, relationships with the world are expressed through how the maker treats the place, the sounds and the audience. Does the maker want to reveal particular sonic aspects of the place as it is, as it used to be, as it might be? Does the composer want to create an ideal place through sound and if so, what are the characteristics of this imaginary place and what ideas and values inform this utopic creation? How does the composer treat the sounds? How prominent are the composer’s treatments in relation to the sounds originally heard in that place, and what are the characteristics of this electroacoustic ecology? What are the dominant and masked sounds in the piece and how do they interact? What connections are there in the work between what is heard in the piece and the place of recording? Does the maker imagine the audience as deafened into numbness and needing to be awakened to true listening by the composer or soundwalk leader’s approach to the soundscape? Do we imagine the listener is ignorant and needing enlightenment? Do we think of the listener as possessed of original and unusual ways of listening, contributing to an expanded awareness of how to work with soundscapes? What are the ethics of this expression, and how are these ethics informed by underlying ideologies of sound, of sound production, and of sound ecology?

Kuala Lumpur downtown soundwalk with multimedia class

by Andra McCartney

Published in Entitle, the electronic magazine of the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University (No. 03, Vol. 01, August 2010: 16-17), Malaysia.

McCartney conducted a soundwalk in Kuala Lumpur’s downtown with a sound class from Multimedia University in late... more McCartney conducted a soundwalk in Kuala Lumpur’s downtown with a sound class from Multimedia University in late January 2010. You can hear (and see) the soundwalk on the accompanying youtube link. Comments are welcomed!

Elementi di cinematografia sonora

by Simone Corelli

http://www.hoepli.it/libro/elementi-di-cinematografia-sonora/9788890166839.asp

Sonido espacial para una inmersión audiovisual de alto realismo

by Victoria TUR VIÑES

Co-autoría con PUEO ORTEGA, Basilio.
Publicado en Icono 14, Revista científica semestral de comunicación audiovisual y nuevas tecnologías. 2009.

Los sistemas de vídeo y audio de alta inmersión tienen un auge impor-tante en entornos audiovisuales realistas. Las... more Los sistemas de vídeo y audio de alta inmersión tienen un auge impor-tante en entornos audiovisuales realistas. Las sensaciones visuales y sonoras que crean en el público se aproximan con un alto grado de similitud a lo percibido en el entorno real que pretenden recrear. Para ello, los estímulos deben contener toda la información necesaria, tanto espacial como temporal, que permita crear la ilusión de que el objeto audiovisual es real. En este artículo, se realiza un repaso de los sistemas audiovisuales que permiten esta recreación, con especial atención en los sistemas de audio envolvente. Se describe la técnica de audio 3D más prometedora, Wave Field Synthesis, junto con diversos campos de aplicación de entornos audiovisuales de alto realismo.
The highly immersive video and audio systems have a major boom in realistic audiovisual environments. The visual and acoustic sensations created in the public are approximated with a high degree of similarity to what is perceived in the real environment intended to be recreated. For that purpose, the stimuli must contain all necessary spatial and temporal information, allowing to create the illusion that the visual object is real. In this article, a review of audiovisual systems that allow this recreation is made, with particular emphasis on surround sound systems. The most promising 3D audio technique, Wave Field Synthesis, is described, along with various application fields of highly realistic visual environments.

Reception and Reflexivity in Electroacoustic Creation

by Andra McCartney

Paper presented at Electroacoustic Music Studies Network conference, Paris, June 2008.

A discussion of recent research creation projects that integrate audience responses into the creative development of... more A discussion of recent research creation projects that integrate audience responses into the creative development of the work.

Soundscape and the subversion of electroacoustic norms

by Andra McCartney

Originally published in SEAMUS

McCartney, Andra. "Soundscape composition and the subversion of electroacoustic norms." Journal SEAMUS 14... more McCartney, Andra. "Soundscape composition and the subversion of electroacoustic norms." Journal SEAMUS 14 (2) 2000: 6- 24.
EContact! Electroacoustic Histories. 2001.(French and English) http://cec.concordia.ca/econtact/Histories/SoundscapeComposition.htm
The Radio Art Companion, edited by Darren Copeland and Nadene Theriault. New Adventures in Sound Art: Toronto, ON. April 2002: 14-22.
Translated into Chinese by Zhang Liming for  CSA (China: the Sonic Avant-Garde) Vol. 2 Edited by CHEN Wei, XU Cheng and ZHANG Liming), February 2006. http://www.chinesenewear.com/mag/
Feature article for earlabs version 8, January 2007. www.earlabs.org.
Feature article for  ..mediateletipos))), May 2007. http://www.mediateletipos.net/
Feature article for Networked Music Review, Sept. 2007. http://transition.turbulence.org/networked_music_review/

Tales Full of Sound Signifying Something

by Alejandra Bronfman

Social History, May 2010

"The Raw and the Produced: (Re)Creating Hardcore Authenticity in the Studio"

by Ian Reyes

Culture Critique (2008)

Through in-studio observation and interviews with band members and their studio engineer, this study documents the... more Through in-studio observation and interviews with band members and their studio engineer, this study documents the recording of a Hardcore group’s first full-length album, discovering some of the ways recordists read the musical soundscape in order to (re)produce sonic signifiers of identity and difference. In this case study, I show how finer issues of production are key to making an album with unmistakable Hardcore authenticity. Moreover, this study is unique insofar as it presents a case in which a “youth” subculture is found not to be the sole property of youth but also a scene in which adults who grew up participating in the subculture continue to be involved. The subjects of this study are adults who were trying to revive the sounds of the subculture from the days of their youth in the 1980s.

This work also speaks to larger issues in the study of popular music and technology. In particular, it illustrates a principle regarding the historical material horizon of music recording as constituted by the archive of pre-existing texts informing the production of new texts. In the following, the role of the archive can be observed through this band’s intense focus on their genre’s history of recorded music as such. The material practices of their studio recording were plainly informed by their interpretation of the Hardcore canon as they see it, which led them to their particular ideas about Hardcore authenticity and how to (re)produce that authenticity on record.

"To Know Beyond Listening: Monitoring Digital Music"

by Ian Reyes

The Senses and Society (Fall, 2010)

In music production, “monitoring” refers traditionally to audile strategies intended to reveal the “true” sound of... more In music production, “monitoring” refers traditionally to audile strategies intended to reveal the “true” sound of mediated audio. Here, it is expanded to include new, digital technologies intended to better know and control the record-object beyond what listening and listening technologies allow. Surveying traditional, contemporary, and emerging tools of record production and distribution, this essay addresses three types of monitoring: audio, visual, and data.

In sum, monitoring entails the supplementation and subversion of the ear through protocols promising to surmount the biases and distortions of audio media. Key technologies include reference speakers, room correction systems, digital audio workstations, open mixes, pre-sets, social networking sites, and automatic music information retrieval. Situating these within a “techoustemology” of monitoring, the central argument is that many innovations in digital audio are non-auditory and, therefore, displace sound and listening as the central means of producing relevant knowledge about music mediated in the digital age.