This work focuses on the use of space in sound transformation. A sound may occupy a broad, unfocused space. In such a case, the sound is most often interpreted as texture. The inverse is a sound that occupies a single, identifiable point in space. Composition can often be considered a dialogue of opposites: consonance vs. dissonance, dense vs. sparse, etc. Presenting this work in a 16-channel sound field allowed the composition of spatial focus.
Once a sound been transformed into a single spatial point, it can then be translated throughout the sound field as a single entity. To accomplish this, I recreated and expanded John Chowning's Quadraphonic Mover in the MaxMSP environment. Chowning has provided plentiful documentation on his method; I will only note my adaptations. The most obvious change is the use of 16 channels instead of four. Studio Study No. 1 is composed for two octaphonic rings: one at ear level and one elevated above the audience. For practical purposes, I did not include vertical distances in the amplitude measurements as it would result in the upper octaphonic ring being consistently quiet. I did however include the vertical distance in the Doppler shift automation. In the beginning, I implemented various forms of Shroeder style reverb units within MaxMSP. However, I found these systems to be sonically lacking. I eventually ported the reverb data through OSC to Digital Performer, allowing the use of rich convolution reverb units.
Once a sound been transformed into a single spatial point, it can then be translated throughout the sound field as a single entity. To accomplish this, I recreated and expanded John Chowning's Quadraphonic Mover in the MaxMSP environment. Chowning has provided plentiful documentation on his method; I will only note my adaptations. The most obvious change is the use of 16 channels instead of four. Studio Study No. 1 is composed for two octaphonic rings: one at ear level and one elevated above the audience. For practical purposes, I did not include vertical distances in the amplitude measurements as it would result in the upper octaphonic ring being consistently quiet. I did however include the vertical distance in the Doppler shift automation. In the beginning, I implemented various forms of Shroeder style reverb units within MaxMSP. However, I found these systems to be sonically lacking. I eventually ported the reverb data through OSC to Digital Performer, allowing the use of rich convolution reverb units.
Mouse-drawn trajectory
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Resulting Distance and Doppler shift.
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