I started with a mind map//
I was focussing on things that moved me. What I felt had immense weight and importance on a universe and personal scale.
Last semester i focused on activistic art, this semester i wanted to hone in on art that feels intrinsic. I was thinking about the art pieces that have moved me and I will never forget them.
August Friedrich Albrecht SCHENCK
Anguish (c. 1878)
(Angoisse)
oil on canvas
151.0 x 251.2 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1880
First time I saw this work I cried and it haunted me for days after, when I ever had a spare moment I was emotionally overcome.
I felt it conected to something so primal in me. Specifically the phrase and emotion “its not fair”.
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu: Can’t Help Myself. 58th International Art Exhibition, “May You Live In Interesting Times”, La Biennale di Venezia, Central Pavilion, Giardini. May 8, 2019.
This piece also made the rounds on social media, and for me it was about the questioning of creation, purpose, and intent.
I also found this incredibly interesting as so many people interpreted it differently to what the artist intende, often ascribing personal details towards it. It is actually referencing the chinese government obfuscating its harm for the public eye.
22, a million – Bon Iver
This is another piece that if i listen to it I will cry. (I also just cry a lot, artists have sensitive souls).
For me this album is about disconnect and distance, whilst understanding the beauty and the need to cherish relationships. If they are going or gone.
I know that all of the pieces are quite sad; I think it’s hard for artworks to feel important unless they have a degree of emotional turmoil. This is a bias I am aware of in myself; I am still working on cherishing work that isn’t always like this.
What I want to take away from these works is the intense emotional energy. However, they are also deeply personal, and the viewer decides how to experience the piece.
The results of the Mind map:
- Non-human time is wicked cool. Trying to elicit a glimpse of an understanding of what that means, like when you learn how old the planet is or how small it is in the scheme of the universe.
- Dancing. The music compels people to move their bodies! It’s like magic.
- Masks are weird, they make people uncomfortable… why?
- Deep ocean feeling (I love that place)
- whales! They are so smart, and we don’t even know how smart! Also, they have a language, and we are trying to decode it.
- Creating an environmental space through sound.
I decided to make a sound piece because music is such a wonderful tool for expressing emotions. Also, sometimes film can be unrelatable, so people aren’t as quick to attribute their own feelings to it (e.g., I will often have to be the “main character” because I can’t find anyone else to film, we end up attributing our cultural biases to the piece. I would like to make that neutral). It is our innate response to music. I intend to capitalise on that.
Sonic inspiration
I think it is fair to say that I have a rather broad music genre interest. I will only mention work that I think is relevant to the direct sound inspiration to this work.
For this work I was inspired by pieces with heavy digital manipulation, that don’t necessarily follow a regular music structure (but often they do).
Hide and seek – Imogen Heap
This song is absolutely haunting. What I find most beautiful is the multi-layered gated voices (meaning at certain levels (created by how loud she sings), different amounts of effects will be triggered)- something very cool and something I would’ve tried for this piece if I had more time.
Another piece to do this in a similar but different way is Bon Iver, from the “22, a million” album.
The effect of the layered voices feels so powerful. and because they are all the same voice and triggered from the same sample it feels like the many facets of a single consciousness of a mind coming together. A choir of the self. It feels amazing to sing along to, if you learn the words.
ahh yes, a classic.
The regular motif of the “ah” repeats throughout the entire piece, staying constant as different emotions are called to by the smaller sections of synth that change throughout the piece. Guided by the simple and far-off lyrics, the piece promises different lives.
This piece also has edited vocals with a computerised lush texture that I would like to recreate with my synth.
And now for something specifically synthesiser-inspired. I love Kraftwerk’s entire discography, but this song floats around in my head more often than most. The manipulation of sounds, varying textures, and melodies stacking and flowing through each other is just awesome! It sounds different every time you listen to it.
I really like Kraftwerk’s attention and dedication to the synth. I also like the fact that none of them knew anything about music; they just did what sounded good. That is currently my Modus operandi.
Here is a contemporary example of a song that prioritises digital augmentation for emotional output. I get very sad when I listen to this.
Suzanne Ciani – The Velocity Of Love
This artist uses similar synthesisers to me, and I find myself un-intentionally using them in similar ways. like the pads that create an expansive space.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Log In Your Fire
here is another example of an artist who combines arps, pads, and samples to create a lush soundscape.
This is me trialling the use of an analogue synthesiser. It is also a good way to understand my music-making process, how I affect the sound, and how I play.
This is a Moog Voyager, which is a later version of a Mac plug-in that I used. So, I was familiar with most of the settings.
I chose not to use an analogue synthesiser because it is monophonic. I could only play one note at a time, which musically is quite limiting and not what I wanted to do for this project. I am a fan of chords and playing two notes at the same time.
I started with a synthesiser plug-in.
This is the synthesiser I learned on, so I know what every button or dial does and what to change if a sound doesn’t sound right to make it what I can hear in my head.
For the main sound of the synthesiser I focused on editing these elements (from left to right)
- Three oscillators are working at different lengths (32′, 4′, and 16′). This creates that really large and cinematic sound, as when I play a note, it triggers three different notes.
- I included three different waveforms (a full saw-tooth, a half saw-tooth, and a square wave). I find a saw tooth sounds more like a flute tone (sharp and spikey). A full square wave sounds kinda like a fart, which is a good thing. This sound is good for bass or scary things. When I combine these three, it makes a luxurious, rich texture.
- I turned off noise as I didn’t want the sound to become foggy at all.
- Then I altered the filter, contour, and cut-off frequency so that it would distort slightly and then resolve in the time frame that I wanted to play the music (if I hold the key for 4 seconds, I would like it to resolve in that time, but I wanted to play quite slowly so I made it higher, 6-8 seconds)
This is a different type of synthesizer I used
It has a sequencer, so when I play one note or a chord. It will play all these notes in a timed sequence.
It is also special because it plays two synthesisers simultaneously, and you can edit each level.
I chose this synth because it had a different texture to the first “demon pad”. If the textures feel the same throughout the piece, it feels fatiguing. I liked this one because it sounded like church organs and was grand. I altered and extended the sequence steps so the rhythm would feel gradual and less dancey.
I also chose the third instrument, a wood marimba, to include a different texture. It also sounds different because of all the air between the notes, which is in direct contrast to the other sounds.
These were the many different sounds and melodies I tried and did not use. Often because they weren’t interesting enough, or they wouldn’t hold up against the other sounds that I had created.
At this point, it was just stereo. I wanted to spacialize it into 5.1. I want the sounds to envelop the listener and move around them so they feel transported, and the sound waves completely envelop them.
I showed this to the class for a check-in and got good feedback. The most common feedback from everyone was that it should be longer. And I agree.
I had been working all this on Garage Band, which I do particularly like. But it doesn’t export in 5.1, so I have to change to Logic Pro. This is quite a challenge because most of the plug-ins I have been using don’t transfer over to Logic Pro. Also, I can’t use any of my plug-ins in the school’s immersive room. So, I have exported all the midis as audio files and will transfer them to Logic Pro to spatialize them.
I extended the initial sound bath section to 4 minutes.
I then wanted the different notes of the chords to move around so they could swish around in unexpected ways.
I played this live and then recorded it, editing sections by cleaning them up and rearranging them to create emotional tensions and releases.
I split them into four tracks, depending on their position in the chord. I then exported them as individual tracks.
This shows the change in angles of the round 5.1 spatialized surround.
This shows the wideness of the sound (sometimes encompassing 1 up to 5 )
These are the volume levels. This took lots of careful consideration, even more so than spatializing the sound. I focused on keeping elements in check that told a story, but if it was too loud, it overwhelmed the listener. There were lots of elements like this; I felt like a conductor.
This is the song that I used for my class tutorial, and here is the WIL form.
So, from this and also being able to exhibit it at the photography event, I was told that people sat and listened to my music in the dark, which is incredibly brave of them, and I am immensely thankful.
Then I moved onto the final edit
I lengthened the Kalimba section, but I didn’t make it as long as the other two sections, as I wanted some variety.
I then split the organ section I had written into 3 parts so that I could move the chords around. I couldn’t do it completely, as how many notes are played at once changes how the arp sounds. So, to not make it too muddy, I just used the lowest notes.
I then exported them all as audio files and moved them into Logic Pro to spatialize them in the immersive studio.
Once I moved them into Logic pro, I cleaned them up a bit and got the timing between the sections neat then I spatialiZed it.
This is how I control the movement of the speakers.
Once I had cleaned everything up.
I exported and it is done!!
I am so proud of this work, which is rare for me. I feel I have hit all the marks I had intended to.
- An interesting-sounding piece
- a piece people feel things when they listen to
- a sense of space or environment, without having atmospheric cues
- something people enjoy
- something I haven’t heard before (for me at least)
Here’s an artist statement based on your guidance:
In crafting this piece, my goal was to immerse the listener in a transformative experience, using the evocative power of synthesizers as my medium. I believe that the most profound art taps into fundamental, primal emotions, transcending intellectual complexities. My aim was to create something universally relatable and engaging, irrespective of background or status.
Music, with its ability to elicit both physiological and emotional responses, became my chosen vehicle. I sought to evoke a sense of profound movement and emotion within the audience. The piece unfolds in three distinct sections, each exploring different emotional landscapes, tensions, and energies, akin to movements in a symphony.
I am delighted by the resonance the piece found among listeners, who described feeling physically transported and deeply moved. Their reactions affirmed my original intention—to create an auditory environment that speaks directly to the soul, without relying on literal environmental sounds.
Moving forward, I am excited to further explore the concept of movements within music, deviating from conventional structures to craft a narrative that guides listeners through varied emotional terrains. This journey aims to transport them to a place beyond the ordinary, where music becomes a powerful conduit for shared human experiences.
I am immensely proud of having created something I have never done before using equipment I have never used before.
I hope you enjoy listening to this piece, I think this is the beginning of a road I am excited to continue travelling.