The piece I made is a rather structured musical composition – we can call it a track – somewhere between electronica and ambient. I did not have a clear idea of the structure or how it will sound initially. The core of the composition is the melody played on chimes, percussion is made from a few objects in my room, and everything else went from there.
I made the sound design and structure in Ableton Live 11. I focused as much as possible to get all sounds and samples balanced at their source so the mixing later would be effortless.
All tracks divided into four groups
As effects create more atmosphere, there have been hybrid reverb from Ableton Live with a long decay, simple delay, moderate long reverb Valhalla and more types of long reverbs – one hybrid and one from an external device of effect processor, and finally grain delay, which is creating a layer of low end in the ambience of the outro.
Return tracks with effects
I mixed all tracks in ProTools. Since I was happy with how tracks already sound on its own in groups, I approached mixing process in more simple way and tried to balance out only the grouped tracks and exports of effects on return tracks.
Mixing session in ProTools
Mixing session in ProTools
For mastering I created separate session in ProTools and only used maximiser to raise overall loudness of the track.
I started to build my own modular synthesiser in Euro rack format in 2020, mainly based on the open-source schematics from YuSynth designed by French cellular and molecular biologist and synth hobbyist Yves Usson. Modules can be found on his website https://yusynth.net/Modular/index_en.html.
The synth part of the track is made from a simple saw wave shaped by an ADSR envelope, run through the YuSynth’s copy of the Moog low pass filter and modulated by LFO. Tones were played on the CV controller Arturia Beatstep Pro, which perfectly works with modular synthesisers to trigger various modules’ gates.
The lead part has been recorded and modulated by Ableton Live grain delay and hybrid reverb. I also used my digital multi-effect module from Lexicon.
YuSynth VCO
YuSynth VCA
YuSynth’s copy of Moog Low Pass filter
Double LFO from Hampshire Electronics
Digital multi-effect Lexicon MPX100 Dual-Channel processor
The other week when I was at work outside on the night outreach shift, we had a referral to visit Parkland Walk, an abandoned rail track turned into the green walk connecting Finsbury Park and Highgate. There was a bridge, and I immediately noticed very interesting reverberation underneath the bridge. I like the natural reverberation of various spaces, and this one, in particular, is very intriguing, primarily because of its size. It is a small space, but the reverb’s decay is between 3 and 4 seconds.
Underpass of the bridge in Parkland Walk at 4:30 A. M.
I decided to come on the upcoming night of the same week with a field recorder and a few of my favourite items, which I like to sample (metal wine calyx, metal pot for cooking and metal kitchen tray) and capture their sound within the space. Various items worked better than others in capturing the reverberation. For example, the calyx was not that prominent, like a pot hitting the ground. Capturing the actual reverberation of the space recording on my iPhone 11 sounds much better than from my Zoom H6 for some reason – at least from my point of preference.
As the night progressed towards the morning, birds started to sing and were captured in the background. I will need to come back another night earlier, around 2 A.M., to record the same sounds again, but without birds.
After all, I have used the field recording of the footsteps and the sound of me switching on the recording button on my iPhone in the intro of the track. I pitched down the sample to -12 cents. The sound of the iPhone nicely lingers one of the chime hits and resembles it as it would chime with a delay. They are two samples randomly sitting next to each other, so they work together well. From samples recorded on iPhone, I have used only one, which became the clap at the climax of the track.
Recording sounds at the site with a Zoom H6 and a candle
I have always been captivated by metallic and industrial sounds. This piece from a dining set in our kitchen recently became ‘an instrument’ and a standard part of my experimental live sets and compositions.
For the recording of sounds coming out from playing on this fantastic piece of metal, I have used AKG C414 Condenser Stereo Microphone. Sound is induced by hitting it with mallet sticks and ‘slicing’ the edges with a metal knife. The tray is hanging down from another microphone stand to rotate if needed. I was particularly intrigued by the sweeping low end and its movement within the stereo field when captured during the rotation.
Recording metal tray in stereo
By applying low pass filters, pitching down the tone of the sample for even -24 cents and reversing samples, I have achieved a variety of sounds being used as risers and atmospheres on the background of the composition.
AKG C414 mics possess fantastic clarity, but despite that, sometimes I would enhance the metallic feel by applying a small amount of very short reverb.
I was delighted with the results of the percussion for the Creative Sound Projects – Element 1. Since I am playing with the idea of recording other tracks similarly and creating the conceptual album based on those two projects, I have decided to use the same drum kit, with different processing and enriched by a few new samples.
I created quite a minimalistic drum kit from recorded samples of only a few items in my room. Kicks and toms were made by hitting empty laundry baskets with mallet sticks, and hats were made from ceramic teapots. Cymbals come from metal trays from the kitchen, which I also used for creating risers (I will talk about them separately in another blog post).
I recorded the sound of duct tape with no idea of how I will use it, and I enjoyed the sound and texture when the tape was stretched and peeled. I have used the tape sound in the previous track for various glitchy textures throughout the composition, but at this point, I am still determining if I will use it in this one.
I have used the Condenser stereo microphone sets listed below to record every single sample. I have compared how they sound and chosen various samples based on personal preference.
AKG C414 Condenser Stereo Microphone set generally appeared to catch higher mids and frequencies, and the AKG C451 Condenser Mic Stereo set was more affluent in the low end.
The drum kit has been processed with Ableton Live EQs, Drum Buss compression and, in some places, added Valhalla reverb.
Set up for recording laundry basket for kicks and toms
Once during the afternoon walk, I discovered a set of large metal chimes situated at the playground of an estate between Arsenal Stadium and Finsbury Park. I decided to come back again to record them at different times of the day. I did so on 25th April at about 1 am when I expected the site to be quiet and ideally with no people around.
For recording, I used several types of microphones. I compared them during the recording and later decided which sound best suited my liking. The idea was to capture the sound and tones of resonating pipes as clean as possible. I have used 1x condenser microphone Oktava MK-012-01, Zoom H6 and 2x Korg contact microphones. Firstly I recorded each pipe separately to capture single tones with each microphone. Using the condenser microphone outdoors did not turn up to be the best idea due to its high sensitivity. Even with a foam filter, the wind destroyed any sense of clarity with an overwhelming hum. The result from the Zoom H6 stereo microphone was slightly better however surrounding city still had a severe amount of background noise even at night (there was always someone parking the car in the street around the corner or a dog barking). Clip-on contact mics from Korg attached to the frame of chips (not to actual pipes. I tried that too, and it completely dumped the resonance of the pipe into a dull sound with, to me, not likeable character).
After recording every chime separately, I attached contact mics to the frame on the left and right sides to create a stereo image and played a few different melodies. Two melodies captured that night became the core element of the track.
‘Thin Air’ is an immersive large-scale exhibition taking place at East London’s industrial venue ‘The Beams’ and features seven captivating audio-visual installations. Light, sound and space mutually interlaced – examining boundaries of these crucial subjects pulls the attention of visitor’s senses on their possibly introspective journeys whilst wandering through the maze of dark rooms. In this essay I will dedicate my attention to chosen installations ‘3.24’ by duo 404.zero, ‘LINES’ by international studio S E T U P and ‘Cleanse/Mantra (110Hz)’ by James Clar.
The first installation worth mentioning is James Clar’s ‘Cleanse/Mantra (110Hz)’. It is a silent laser installation of lasers in the entry corridor inviting visitors to the whole space. A frequency of 110 Hz is known as ‘human pitch’ stimulating right side of the brain where art, creativity, spirituality and emotion are centred. Buddhist and Hindu mantras are often chanted in the same frequency (Thin Air – The Beams, 2023). Although the mantra is visual it provides a certain synesthetic experience by visually expressing the sine wave of the frequency 110Hz. In spite of installation itself being sonically ‘silent’, the ominous bass drones from the impending installation ‘3.24’, already enter the sonic space of ‘Cleanse/Mantra’ and somehow become a part of it. It feels like Mantra of creativity is supposed to prepare you for the upcoming feeling of astonishment and immersion.
404.zero is a collaborative project of artists Kristina Karpysheva and Alexandr Letsius. They specialise in real-time, generative, and code-based art, which is presented in large-scale installations, performance and music. Through combining noise with randomised algorithms they question the power structures of the Anthropocene and global politics, revealing them as invisible yet impregnable environments of the contemporary condition (Thin Air – The Beams, 2023). ‘3.24’ wants to challenge visitors to delve deeper into their own perceptions and explore the depths of their personal experiences. The installation consists of carefully positioned lights flickering across the ceiling beams and pillars throughout the space. A dozen of sound systems are positioned across the humongous warehouse space on each side. The sound design is ominous and deep; light works in juxtaposition with the darkness of the vast fog encompassed space. The space is sparsely filled with people, which reminded me of entities of unknown origin slowly roaming and lost in the dark.
S E T U P is an international studio operating between multimedia art, lighting & stage design and performance programming. The studio was founded by Dmitry Znamensky, Stepan Novikov, Pavel Zmunchila and Anton Kochnev in 2018. The team explores expressive opportunities provided by the latest digital technologies. The group creates installations that challenge physical perception by working with light, programming and sculpture. They specialize in image and spatial distortion, and by using high-tech media, they transform the spaces they work in (Thin Air – The Beams, 2023). ‘LINES’ is situated in a warehouse smaller than the previous one. Initial impressions created by light systems and sound design seem to share similarities with ‘3.24’, however the space is equipped with beanbags, suggesting to visitors that this space may be suitable for relaxation. Three layers of LED lines are hanging from the ceiling which is spread across the warehouse.
Both installations, via their atmosphere and soundscapes, inevitably reminded me of the environment of techno clubs, however, deconstructed into its basic elements of immersiveness. The sound in the space varied from deep drones, electric current-like sounds, industrial metallic hits, and heavy bass rumble. The sound, together with the visuals, could be easily found within a variety of techno shows. The immersive aspect may result in the escapism similarly provided by techno clubs and raves. Many modern humans have an urge to escape the stress of the fast paced life in big cities and recover from such stress by enclosing themselves into post-modern cave environments of high-tech techno clubs or abandoned warehouses at underground raves in order to internally reunite with ‘..ritual-spiritual and meditative space [and] to think through affective citizenship of socio-sonic dance space along processes such as belonging/alienation, self/’ (Zebracki, 2016, p. 118). Often loud, hypnotic and heavily percussive electronic music combined with artificial smoke and darkness in juxtaposition with flashing lights may bring a feeling of relaxation or mental restart, via the human mind reaching ecstatic or even psychedelic states. However, soundscapes of installations alongside lights are here generated randomly by coded algorithms and create rather an ambience which encourages the visitor to (maybe) consciously contemple, rather than to an ecstatic dance.
In spite of the ambiguity and complicated definition of the concept of soundscape I have used this term in order to capture a representation of certain environment with its own sonic reality tied to the specific socio-cultural context (Bull and Cobussen, 2020, p. 37). How could the soundscape of post-modern, post-industrial society sound like and how it inspires and influences humans living in the big city constantly surrounded by technology? Does sounds of traffic, factories and computers in office spaces, all naturally occurring in the city landscape, create inspiration to purposely and with care fold them into patterns of compositions, thus creating industrial and techno music?
The important element in which both pieces of the exhibition differ from the club and party environment, is what I call “deconstruction of the urban techno soundscape”. The percussive element of electronic dance music played in night clubs derives a long-run inspiration and roots in percussive music from tribal traditions, e.g. West African drumming (Zebracki, 2016, p. 112) then reframed with the use of modern technologies in Detroit and Chicago. ‘…House music was created by Black men in the late 1970s in New York and most famously, Chicago, after the “death of disco”. Techno was born in Belleville, Detroit by young Black men mixing tracks together with drum machines, synthesizers and turntables. After the wall fell in Berlin in 1989, Techno music made its way to Germany as the sound of a new, inclusive future. Detroit and Berlin have since had a symbiotic relationship when it comes to techno…’ (Goodwin, 2023).
Both exhibitions, ‘3.14’ and ‘LINES’, are highly immersive experiences, and the sound design contains many elements of techno soundscapes, however, they are stripped of the repetitive rhythms and structures of dance music. If percussive moments appear, they are random and unstructured. There is no sense of evolvement, as for example in DJ sets. By stripping urban techno music of its repetitive percussion and compositional structure, yet retaining the elements of raw industrial/techno sound design, the sound installation still induces a similar transcendental effect on the human mind. It brings a different way of creating more clear consciousness in comparison to overly busy club and rave environments, where people may experience affective citizenship, feeling of belonging, and oneness on the dance floor especially with the context of the techno and rave culture.(Zebracki, 2016, p. 111) Here we are getting more into contemplation based on experience of solitude within the vast space (other visitors rarely interact and there is only handful of them as mentioned above).
‘Cleanse/Mantra (110Hz)’ by James Clar‘3.24’ by 404.zero
Bibliography:
Boudreault-Fournier, Alexandrine. “Sonic Methodologies in Anthropology.” In The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sonic Methodologies, edited by Bull, M. and Cobussen, M. (2020). Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Zebracki, Martin (2016) “Embodied techno-space: An auto-ethnography on affective citizenship in the techno electronic dance music scene,” Emotion, Space and Society, 20, pp. 111–119. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2016.03.001.
Derek Baron is a composer, musician, and writer living in New York City. They have released a number of solo recordings of chamber, computer, and concrete music on record labels such as Recital, Pentiments, Penultimate Press, and Regional Bears. (Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL, 2023)
I found particularly interesting Derek Baron’s inspiration from very abstract concepts of Jewish mysticism and cosmogonic mythology about ‘sparks and vessels’ scattered across created cosmos, partially because these topics has been always close to me as well. This topic follows him across various art forms into the sound piece To The Planetarium. The piece is made from gathered old family interviews captured on tapes and its aim is to ‘let them be’ at its length and at its space instead of making short version cut. As a result, the piece is extremely long (about 4 hours). Derek Baron realises the difference between the material and the work. He found himself more in the position of a researcher / listener rather than a being in control over the content as a creator. This methodology reminded me an analogy in Jewish mystical concept of creation of the Universe, Tzimtzum, which means literally stepping back to allow for there to be Other, or Else, as in something or someone else, mentioned by Derek Baron earlier.
Derek Baron is sourcing inspiration for his music and compositions from various other art forms especially from paintings and often is putting random ideas and pictures together based on the ‘spark of momentum’ even if later the result won’t make any sense to him anymore. Such a spark he compares to the mythical spark from the creation.
If I didn’t know about Derek’s fascination by mythology, his inspiration avenues would seems very random to me and wouldn’t make much sense to me either however I can somehow perceive what Derek sees behind all nuances of art pieces which inspired him into creation of his own and the ways presented during the lecture. Although there is an inherent difficulty to comprehend and describe these inspirations into detail because the whole journey seems to be very internal and personal.
Bibliography:
Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL (2023). Available at: https://crisap.org/research/projects/sound-arts-lecture-series/.
Vicky Browne is an installation artist who utilises everyday objects such as walkmans, iPods, clothing and furniture to comment on Western systems of consumption and networked relationships to ecologies. (Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL, 2023).
She is building sculptures of turntables, CD players and recorders from various materials. Sculptures are interactive and able actually ’to play’ although expectations from what is being played may be very different than from usual players and turntables. Playing sculptures sonically represent the material from which they are created whether it is metal, glass, wood or stick from the forest (which is still wood however at this point the attention is brought to the place of origin – forest).
Some ways how Vicky Browne executes an exhibition in the gallery reminded me approach of Rie Nakajima. She positions various sculptures from various materials across the space and let visitor walk through it and immerse themselves in a cacophony of sound. However she would call such a set up rather installation than sculpture. Similarly as Rie Nakajima, Vicky Browne’s approach is very ecological. She uses a lot of recycled and old material.
Bibliography:
Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL (2023). Available at: https://crisap.org/research/projects/sound-arts-lecture-series/.
Mélia Roger (*1996, France) is a sound artist and sound designer for film and installations. Her work explores the sonic poetics of the landscape, through field recordings and active listening performances. Exploring human non-humans relations, she tries to inspire ecological change with environmental and empathic listening (Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL, 2023). She works a lot with the voice and very recent technologies
I found interesting her piece ‘Voice as matter, matter of voice’. She says a sentence to the translator and it translates it to Spanish from her native French. Then she repeats what she hears and translator re-translates. At some point it is becoming a loop and translator is creating new random sentences. Mélia wants to see how the machine reacts with a non-sensical sentences and how the application creates links between two languages. This technique somehow reminds Alvien Lucier’s piece ‘I am sitting in the room’ where he records the sentence over and over again until there is extracted the pure resonance of the space. In the end of Mélia’s exercise with translator there appears a word when the translation stops to change in between languages. Similarly at the end of Lucier’s piece there is only never-ending undistinguishable resonating hum all over and over again.
Another piece of hers ‘The voice is voices’ explores vocal cloning with online tools and IRCAM TTS, program which synthesises speech. The artificial voice has been constructed from many hours of voice recordings and each word is generated completely by the machine, via text-to-text speech synthesis. The installation is playing with listener’s doubt. One speaker is playing Mélia’s real voice and another one is playing the synthesised voice of hers. The idea is creating uncanny feeling based on no possibility to distinguish real and synthesised voice thus question which identity is real and which one is fake. Mélia realised that noises from her mouth produced during the speech are becoming the meeting point of distinguishability between organic and artificial. This piece may be indirectly pointing out to current questions and fears in regards to constantly evolving Artificial Intelligence when interacting with chatbots is slowly becoming indistinguishable from interacting with humans.
The voice is voices
Bibliography:
Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL (2023). Available at: https://crisap.org/research/projects/sound-arts-lecture-series/.
Rie Nakajima is a sculptor living in London. She has been working on creating installations and performances by responding to physical characters of spaces using a combination of motorised devices and found objects. (Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL, 2023)
She is creating extensive interactive mechanical acoustic sound sculptures consisting from very random objects. By positioning various objects in different scenarios, combinations and flooring she can achieve very different results in terms of sound and loudness. During the performance objects are positioned in random places across the whole space where she is. Sounds of ‘mechanical creatures’ are slowly taking over the whole space and the audience is continuously fully immersed in the strange surround orchestra with an ongoing tension created by adding new and new sounds coming from different directions. Rie doesn’t like to call them ‘her objects’ and likes to give them space to express themselves thus she realised over the time that there is no need for her to name objects as well as her pieces and performances.
Rie points out that in Japan the culture around sculptures is very technical and material based but after she moved to London to study sculpture at Chelsea School of Arts further she decided for a different avenue and started experiment with including sound into sculpture. Later she introduced element of performance when she joined Slade School of Fine Arts in London too. When she perform her sculptures she doesn’t have set any intentions or theme. Performance is improvised and always evolve into very different results and scenarios also because of the audience which often has its own unconscious input based on position and interaction in the space.
I really appreciate ecological and recycling approach in her art. She doesn’t like to use expensive objects or materials. The whole approach is very compact. Rie mentioned that she never had her studio and the whole ‘sculpture scene’ is transported in her luggage.
Bibliography:
Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL (2023). Available at: https://crisap.org/research/projects/sound-arts-lecture-series/.
Rory consider himself more of a musician rather than sound artist. His music is formed through experimentations with electronic instruments, field recordings, amplified objects, cassette tape, feedback and voice. He is motivated by a relationship to changing and chaotic environments, objects and scores made from walking. As an artist he works mostly with walking, text, feedback systems and participatory projects, often with a focus on actions and performance scores. (CRiSAP, n. d.) He is converting his drawings into musical compositions. Drawings here work as a form of score.
Ecka is an artist whose work intersect between music (cello, horsehair harp, voice, eggflute), performance and sensation (scent). She moved to London in 2020 to pursue career in Sound Art however after the start of pandemic she had to find an alternative and started to work in laboratory with scents creating perfumes and perfumed candles. Her cello composition ‘Study of a flame’ was inspired by observing the flame of a perfumed candle, its movement and smell inspiring her to compose a cello piece. The process made her question: ‘Can the process be reversed?’ This doesn’t include only the burning flame of candle but also its scent.
Ecka started to develop sound inspiring scents and perfumes noticing details from the object and its environment (f.e. tree) inspiring the subject (the perfume). She thinks about scents as about notes and sound waves and her invention consider to be Intersensory recording device and provides the form of synaesthetic experience.
‘Some perfumes are loud‘ and at the end of the day… ‘the scent and sound are both airborne’.
Bibliography:
CRiSAP. (n.d.). Sound Arts Lecture Series | CRiSAP research centre, UAL. [online] Available at: https://crisap.org/research/projects/sound-arts-lecture-series/ [Accessed 4 May 2023].
