2007 – Sem2 – CC1 -Week 8 – Performance Sequencing (2)

Geez, what can I say. Why didn’t I ever install this? Again, I’ve been amazed at the simple way of creating songs and equally amazing that, apart from the obvious bass and brief guitar part, all of this is drums?! The guitar I switched back off pretty much straight away. It jumps out too suddenly and besides, I was having too much fun warping the drums.
As far as the subject of limited functions go, I have fallen into the trap of recording track after track of an instrument part in the past only to be left with a nightmare to edit and the track really just ends up as lifeless nonsense anyway. Limited tracks or slots forces you to commit.
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Haines, Christian. 2007. “CC1 – Performance Sequencing(2).” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 13th September.

Live. 1999-2007. Ableton AG.

2007 – Sem2 – AA1 – Week 8 – Sound Generation – AM Synthesis

Again, not being the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to programming, this is going straight over my head. I didn’t understand how to make the LFO in Bidule so I’m way behind with this program and understanding synthesis. As far as I can gather, AM synthesis is pretty much the same as intermodulation distortion except we actually want the added artifacts present in AM synthesis.
I think I’ve done it right. I followed my little sketch from class I made and after reading the articles I think I’m making the right noises. Both the sine and the triangle waveform (on the right hand side collection of bidules that is connected to the main out) seem to be combining to create weird tremolo, beating tones as I adjust the sliders. The bidules on the left are my first attempt (which isn’t connected to the main outs). That works too, but I’m not sure if they’re connected right as they are probably beating due to the variables being ‘out of tune’ as the beating stops when both variables are the same value. How I’m meant to make anything sound natural from this is beyond me.
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Haines, Christian. 2007. “AA1-AM Synthesis” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 11th September.

Plogue Bidule. 2001-2007 Plogue Art et Technologie, Inc

2007 – Sem2 – Forum - Proposal for Forum Instrument

Well my limited brain function isn't going to create the next Toncolarium anytime soon, so the base instrument is a Wiggle’s toy squeezbox I picked up at an Op Shop that I plan to circuit bend. It plays various songs and noises at the push of various buttons. I aim to use most of the things in the “ReadingsComp” handout in my instrument including the addition of potentiometers for pitch and speed variations, 1 to X bend, a panic button, line output, etc. There is another small circuit board inside that is connected to the ‘squeezbox’ part of the toy. I’ve disconnected the cord which can’t be seen in the pic, but I plan on bending that too. I’ve considered making a new box for it, but I kind of like the quirkyness of a squeezbox.

2007 – Sem2 – Forum – Week 7 – Physical Computing (2)

2007 – Sem2 – CC1 -Week 7 – Performance Sequencing (1)

Even though this is a Degree in the understanding of sound and its applications in different technological contexts, it is especially nice to do some work with music from time to time instead of simply making noise in the guise of music. It is interesting that we’ve just spent the last two weeks trying to program MIDI tracks to make them sound like naturally played real instruments and now we’ve gone to looping real audio to sound robotic and repetative. Just thought I’d mention that observation. :)
Live is bloody awesome. I’ve had it at home all this time (an LE version came with the 002) but never installed it as I figured it was ‘some toy’ like Frooty Loops. Wow, how wrong was I. It is just so quick and easy to create a great sounding song. The only problem, as I mentioned, is the repetativeness of music created this way, but that is easy to rectify. In future, I’ll be creating my loops in Pro Tools, importing into Live, creating the basic song, exporting and importing the song back into Pro Tools to record live playing with the track to get away from the robotic sound. This may seem completely obvious but I don’t think enough bands do this when creating songs via looping, NIN being the obvious one. Every rhythmic track, (and melodic for that matter) doesn’t need to be created with loops. It’s interesting that the Scissor Sisters recorded their latest album this way[1], although Scott Hoffman uses Battery not Live, (along with recording digital tracks back onto 2” tape and mixing on a Neve but we won’t go there) and even though it’s an electronic album it doesn’t sound overly robotic like electronic music of the past, or even some that have been released recently.

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I mucked it up around 1:35 as I missed the beat so it stuffed up for about 7 seconds, but after trying about 30 times to get it spot on I settled for it as is. I assure everyone this is all done live without automation, even though there are automation dots in the pic. They’re from playing it live then rendering the file after. This mix would have been easier to do with more tracks but I thought I’d keep it to four with four slots so we’re all even. Nice me eh. ;)

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Haines, Christian. 2007. “CC1 – Performance Sequencing(1).” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 6th September.

Live. 1999-2007. Ableton AG.

[1]Tingen, Paul. “Recording The Scissor Sisters.” In Audio Technology – Issue 51. A. Stewart and C. Holder eds. Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd 2006. pp37-40.

2007 – Sem2 – AA1 – Week 7 – Sound Generation – Basic Synthesis

Although this was a bit of trial and error, I managed to get some understanding of a synthesiser. I did this on the Juno 6. The LFO was one thing I never really understood but I think it’s clearer now how it works and what it does. I really don’t know what to say about this really. I managed to get a couple of ‘unique natural sounds’ I think although I did include the ever popular wind sound.
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Haines, Christian. 2007. “AA1- Basic Synthesis.” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 4th September.

2007 – Sem2 – Forum – Week 6 – Physical Computing (1)

2007 – Sem2 – CC1 – Week 6 - MIDI Sequencing (3)

Well I’m guessing that this assignment was to add eq and effects to our song to ‘naturalise’ it some more. Thing is I naturalised it as much as I could last week by fiddling with the synth settings of the A-1 and you can’t use VST eq’s on MIDI tracks so I’m confused. Anyway, I fiddled about with the track some more and bussed out to an external effect. It’s pretty cheesy. What have I learnt? Apart from finding my way around Cubase, not much. Sorry, but I just feel that this is akin to a surgeon having his scalpels taken away and trying to perform brain surgery with a screwdriver and a rubber mallet and people expecting the same result. MIDI will always sound computerised, fake, robotic and just plain cheesy while using synthesisers. I believe an audibly realistic outcome of a non computerised instrument such as a guitar (or anything with such a complex waveform and crucially relying on resonance from the material the instrument is made from and the performers actions. ((And yes, before anyone says anything, I know we are supposed to be trying to replicate performer actions with this assignment, but my point is a guitar is a little more complex than a violin.)) Another instrument that springs to mind that is virtually impossible to replicate convincingly with MIDI is the harmonica.) can only be achieved with the MIDI data hooked up to a sampler. A guitar is so complex, much like the human voice. A computer is never going to talk like a human anytime soon.

Unless there are eq plugins and such at Uni that work on MIDI tracks, I’ll need to suss that out tomorrow. This blog needs to up now so, here’s my music. Yay.

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Haines, Christian. 2007. “CC1-MIDI Sequencing.” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 30th August.

Cubase. 2003. Steinberg Media Technologies

2007 – Sem2 – AA1 - Week 6 – Interaction Design and Sound

I like the thinking behind the difference between ‘product design’ and ‘experience design.’ This, to me, is along the lines of an alarm clock for example. In years gone by, a digital alarm clock’s alarm would be quite harsh, squarewaved, sharp and abrasive sounding in that attempt to wake you up. In recent years it’s apparently not the tone of the sound, but how loud it is so a softer, rounder and less harsh sound is used in digital alarm clocks. Hopefully microwave manufacturers and the like will follow suit and get rid of the harsh piezo beep.
Legibility and musicality is an important aspect to keep in mind. It’s pretty pointless to have a great soundtrack or audio ‘gimmick’ if it’s completely unintelligible through a particular medium just as most music people listen to involve a lot more than just simple piezo beeps.

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I know this blog is incomplete. Sorry.

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Lord, Max. 2004, Why Is That Thing Beeping? A Sound Design Primer, http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/why_is_that_thing_beeping_a_sound_design_primer. Accessed 1st September 2007.
Tannen, Rob. 2006, Acoustics and Product Design: An Introduction, 2007, http://humanfactors.typepad.com/idsa/2006/01/acoustics_and_p.html#more. Accessed 1st September 2007.

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Haines, Christian. 2007. “AA1-Interaction Design and Sound.” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 28th August.

2007 – Sem2 – Forum - Week 5 – Circuit Bending (2)

This seems pretty straightforward. Find some bends and add some switches in the circuit. The bend I chose was in between the resistor. By removing the resistor and soldering in a potentiometer, I was able to adjust the pitch of the sound by turning the pot. A line output could have been soldered in between the speaker wire path to enable an audio output suitable for a PA for example. I didn’t bother doing that with this but I’ll probably do it for my main instrument. A DI would be a safe method of using the output.

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Some good sites I've been looking at for ideas are here:

http://www.circuitbenders.co.uk/index.html

http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/

Haines, Christian. 2007. “Forum-Circuit Bending.” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 23rd August.