Final Post

– This week will be dedicated to studio time for work on your final project and anything else relating to the Sound Art final. Please come to class prepared with whatever materials you need to work. I’ll be available for any feedback or consultation.

– Remember, Project 4 is due next week. Please arrive promptly so we can begin the critiques at the top of class. We’ll have a lot to get through so we’ll need to begin on time.

– – – – –

– Check out “Silent Sound” by Ian and Jane Forsythe. An excellent “silent” sound installation that taps into the potential of music and subliminals to to communicate emotively, employing the audience’s mind, imagination and beliefs as a site for the work.

More about “Silent Sound” here.

Week Twelve

-This week I’ll introduce the final project of the semester.

-The DJI Pocket cam will be available during class if you want to video document your sound walk.

-Next week we’ll not have class due to Thanksgiving break. Have a safe holiday.

HOMEWORK:
Start on Project 4
– – – –

Max Neuhaus – Times Square – Documentary
Annea Lockwood – Piano Transplants (revisited and livestreamed 2021)

Week Ten/Eleven

Project 3 is due next class.MUST receive your work no later than Sunday November 3, 2024 at midnight. Work submitted after the deadline risks not being included.

– Please be sure to convert your final .wav to a 320kbps mp3 file. If you’re not sure how to do this with the Apple music app, use the simple online audio format converter.

– I will send out a download link by Tuesday evening for all the soundwalks. They’ll be formatted like an album so it will be easy to transfer to your mobile device. Be sure the device you’re using has a full charge for class and remember to have your headphones or earbuds for the walks.

Below is the order of walks based on location:

November 6, 2024
Emaline – Gateway to light rail station.
Steve – Fitz to Brown Center.
Ellie P. – Bottom of Brown to top of Brown.
Cat – Outside Bunting to basement of Brown.
Joyin – Brown 206 to top of Brown.
Sherry – Fox to light rail tracks outside Dolphin St.
Hexiang – Fitz to Main bldg.

November 13, 2024
Jackson – Main to Station.
Colin – Howard St. Bridge (outside Brown) across and back.
Ellie B. – Lyric garage to Mosher parking lot.
Michelle – Street opposite to 1515 to cross street before light rail.
Mason – Gateway to Mosher parking lot (underpass area).
Minseok – Gateway to Dolphin.
Melissa – John St. (behind Main) to Brevard St. 

Week Nine

-If you missed or want a refresher on last week’s lecture about Ambisonics and binaural audio, you can download my slide deck as a PDF from the downloads page.

-Today I’ll be conducting a contact microphone building workshop during the first half of class. These microphones are used often by sound artists and experimental musicians as they sense audio vibrations through contact with solid objects as opposed to traditional microphones which pick up airborne vibrations. Please be sure to arrive on time so we can begin promptly 🙂

-If you’re interested in building more contact mics for yourself later, below are some Amazon links for parts. IA has a soldering work bench with irons, helping hands, fume extractors etc., on the 2nd floor of Dolphin you can use. Just ask me first 🙂

Piezo discs (different disc diameters available)
Speaker wire
Solderless 1/4″ TS jack

-Below is a compilation of Instagram reels showcasing different uses of contact microphones.

HOMEWORK:
– Continue to work on Project 3. Due in two weeks.

Week Eight

– This week I’ll be talking about Ambisonics, binaural audio and ways to record in both formats.
– You’ll also have studio time this week to begin planning and recording for your sound walks. Please come prepared to work during the second half of class.
– If you’re using the H3-VR to record, you’ll need the Ambisonics Player app to easily convert your Ambisonics files to binaural. You can also play, trim, re-orientate and export your audio. Free for PC or Mac. DOWNLOAD HERE

HOMEWORK:
Continue to work on Project 3.
– – – –
Check out the video below for even more info on binaural audio and a few recording tools you can use.

Week Seven

– Homework: 
Begin work on Project 3

– A behind the scenes look at how the Soundwalk Collective collaborated with John Perry Barlow and the blog Detour to create their Soundwalk through San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

– Visit: Soundwalks at Third Angle
– Visit: Soundwalk.org (archive site)
Visit: Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK
Visit: Janet Cardff’s website LINK

Listen: Five examples of site specific soundwalks by: Janek Schaefer, Scanner, John Wynne, Kaffe Matthews, Salome Voegelin and Mike Marshal. Available in downloads.

Examples of Musicians using Ambisonic Recording.
– Pink Floyd, “The Final Cut” Harvest/E.M.I, (1982).
– Roger Waters, “The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking” (1984).
– Psychic TV, “Dreams Less Sweet“, Some Bizarre (1983).

Week Six

Project Two is due today.
Please come to class ready to critique your work.

HOMEWORK: Breathe. Relax…. Listen 🙂
– – – – – – – –
Below: Check out Night Walk for Edinburgh. Another immersive, mobile sound and video installation by sound artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.

Night Walk for Edinburgh – 2019

Soundwalks have become increasingly more common in pop culture. Pioneered by acoustic ecologist  R. Murray Schafer in the 70’s, a soundwalk can take on many shapes and forms but is generally considered a site specific activity anchored to a particular location.

A Binaural Soundwalk for Leeds, UK.