Journal
Thoughts/ Research

Author: Daniel Pakdel

Categories
SOUND STUDIES & AURAL CULTURES

Improvisation, Creativity and Consciousness

Through reading this book, written by Sarath and informed by his 30 years of experience as a music professor and trumpet player, I was introduced to a plethora of meditative practices that many jazz musicians partook in, and learnt about the potential tangible benefits it can have on their ability to improvise. An example would be that of Alice Coltrane, who partook in daily meditations, studied Hindu mysticism and eventually joined an Ashram. Looking further for more examples of this, a series of interviews I found on youtube of the revered saxophone player Sonny Rollins showed him recounting his experiences of eastern spirituality and how practices, such as disciplined yoga gave him understanding and direction and a centre from which to gain access to his subconscious, allowing for deeper levels of improvisation.

It can be said that, through reading this, I’ve drawn the conclusion that improvisation, to many of the forerunners of its practice, is deeply connected to self growth and development. It requires self reflection and introspection and Sarath argues that its holistic approach would have massive benefits for society if administered in higher education today.

Going back to Oliveros’ idea of computed improvisation, I think again of the lack of credibility I feel it has in comparison with human improvisation as the practice of improvising, by its very nature, is not just a random generation of new substance, but rather a vehicle of navigation based on the the advancement of society, consciousness and human connection.

Categories
SOUND STUDIES & AURAL CULTURES

Research for Aural Paper: Vs Interpretation (Part 2)

Some other essays within the book that stood out included the pianist and composer, Jeffrey Goldberg’s essay on ‘Improvisation as a Practice of Trust’. I noticed his idea that the body and state of mind plays an important role in the act of improvisation (referring to how one must warm up themselves as well as their instruments and connect deeply with their breath) implied an opposition to Oliveros’ ponderings on the validity of computed improvisation. The very nature of connecting with oneself in order to take part in improvisation suggests that the human condition, mentally and physically, plays an important role in the ability to spontaneously improvise. Whilst the physical condition of technology can alter the means of improvising, there is no varied mental nature to it, and rather an unwavering state of existence, reducing any kind of meaningful and emotive colouration on the outcome.
Moreover, he states that the state of deep listening is paramount to successful improvisation, as reacting to our immediate surroundings, as well as ourselves, is intertwined with it. To what degree can technology respond in the same organic way that humans can? Highlighting the inclusion of the word ‘response’ in responsibility, it makes me think of moral obligation and intuition, both of which can inform how one improvises. While there might be a machine that has or can be designed to interact with it surroundings, it would be mechanical and not based in empathy and respect of who it shares the room with.
Considering the benefits of improvisation, Goldberg explains how improvisation encourages vulnerability and intimacy with the self. To be free of judgement, and full of humility in order to engage in the process of allowing, whether the notes that one might produce are conventionally correct or not. Essentially he states that improvising can be a gateway into self growth, trusting our own intuition and accepting the here and now (presence). ‘There are no wrong notes’

Categories
Vs. Interpretation (An Anthology on Improvisation)

Research for Aural Paper: Vs. Interpretation (An Anthology on Improvisation)

“vs. Interpretation: An Anthology of Improvisation, vol. 1 is a compendium of essays edited by David Rothenberg. It includes a Usb compilation of improvised music by multiple different sound artists. It is essentially a tool for living in and interpreting the world around us”

After reading this I was exposed to multiple different ways in which improvisation occurs, seeping into all forms of our existence and the matter around us.

Broken into a series of interviews and compendium of essays by multiple different sound artists and scholars on improvisation, I aimed to find some direction in what themes to explore for my Aural Paper

Starting with Pauline Oliveros’ chapter in the book, titled ‘Play As You Go, I was exposed to the implications, but also the benefits of using technology as a means to advance our means of improvising. Finding parallels in the first bird-bone flute dating back 40,000 years, an ancient version of music technology, to the data laden and algorithmic software we now use today to increase our means of improvisation, such as the program SARA (Simple Analytic Recombinant Algorithm) that produces new compositions in the style of the music in its database, Oliveros argues that technology and what she coins as ‘Quantum improvisation’ can go a long way to find new ways to express the relationships between mind and matter. Upon reading this however, I questioned whether computers and data could ever really compete with the human mind and all of its complexities. While Quantum improvisation can technically produce an infinite amount of new material based off of old material, would it have the same edge as a conscious human mind that is coloured with emotion, experience and subsequent taste. Can a computer compete with the individuality of a human being?
While the use of technology and computing has allowed us to increase the speed and means in which we can develop our creativity and accelerate growth through learning, reading and improvising music, if we were to completely take the human being out of the equation, would an algorithm still be able to create music of the same calibre or authenticity. That is, until said computer or data set developed its own consciousness, somehow…

Categories
Introduction to Sound Studies & Aural Cultures

Introduction to Sound Studies & Aural Cultures

In one of our last lectures with Ingrid we explored various forms of factual story telling and were consequently introduced to Nichols’ documentary modes

Poetic mode
In general it is a type of documentary mode that rejects linear continuity in favour of keeping in line with the mood, tone or juxtaposition of imagery.
‘Early documentary filmmakers, bolstered by Soviet montage theory
and the French Impressionist cinema principle of photogenie,
appropriated these techniques into documentary filmmaking.

Expository mode
The expositional mode diverges sharply from
the poetic mode in terms of visual practice and
story-telling devices, by virtue of its emphasis
on rhetorical content, and its goals of
information dissemination or persuasion.
Eg: Film features, news stories, and various
television programs

Participatory mode
In the participatory mode “the filmmaker does
interact with his or her subjects rather than
unobtrusively observe them.”

Observational mode
The observational mode of documentary developed in
the wake of documentarians returning to Vertovian
ideals of truth, along with the innovation and
evolution of cinematic hardware in the 1960s. The
move to lighter 16mm equipment and shoulder
mounted cameras allowed documentarians to leave
the anchored point of the tripod.

Reflexive mode
The reflexive mode considers the quality of
documentary itself, de-mystifying its processes
and considering its implications. In Dziga
Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929,) for
example, he features footage of his brother
and wife in the process of shooting footage
and editing, respectively. The goal in including
these images was, “to aid the audience in their
understanding of the process of construction
in film so that they could develop a
sophisticated and critical attitude.”

Performative mode
The performative mode engages the filmmaker
to the story but constructs subjective truths
that are significant to the filmmaker him or
herself.

Categories
Specialising & Exhibiting Unit 01

GHOST IN THE SHELL CONTINUED…

After having issues using conversion software to decode the ambisonic recordings I had taken, I found out from one of my lecturers that due to the nature of ambisonic mics and its tetrahedral array, you need movement to create space. As a result its probably not the best microphone to use for atmospheres with little movement which is what I had used it for. Adding to that the cardioid polar pattern of its capsules doesn’t have a massive range.

Moving on from this, before setting off to do more field recordings I configured the Zoom F4 appropriately, applying Limiters and Hi-pass filter to each channel as well setting the sample rate and bit depth. In order to recreate the dystopian feel of a sci-fi city I headed for the graffiti tunnels near London for its natural reverberations.

I managed to find an empty oil can in the same space, recording the sound it made when thrown against the floor with the intention of manipulating it later to create explosive sounds for other parts of the clip.

Some recordings and ideas included empty spray cans for gunshots, scraping of metal against metal for the movement of the android/ robot and boats creaking on the river thames, taking inspiration from Ben Burt, especially when hashing out the sounds of the android. When at home I took further recordings of myself making ‘wooshing’ sounds with my mouth, to be manipulated into android like movements in Ableton.

This is the end result of the somewhat short exercise i set myself.

Categories
Sound For Screen

Draft Template for Foley Excersise

  • Sound of android taking off with each jump
  • Metal poles clanging
  • Metal pole falling
  • City ambience

  • Android landing on and breaking metal floor grid
  • City ambience continued

  • Footsteps
  • Non-diegetic nearby ambience of street market

  • Street market ambience increasing in volume
  • Street band playing
  • (Overhead perspective)

  • Street market ambience
  • Street band playing
  • (Middle perspective)

  • Continued street ambience and street band
  • Specific sounds become more apparent as man scans the market (i.e. Hearing intensifies)
  • Sound of bike (Spokes and Bell)
  • Dog barking
  • Cart being wheeled
  • Footsteps of man running past
  • Vehicle driving past
  • Dog moving / eating
  • Change in perspective of ambience (voyeur/ uneasy feeling?)

  • Ambience becomes less audible as android focuses

  • Android headset interference
  • electrical signals
  • beeping
  • telephone pick ups…
  • Non diegetic Footsteps increasing in sound
  • Man saying ‘Hey stop!’
  • Man crashing into cart / vegetables falling over
  • Android headset interference
  • Electronic beeps as man being chased appears and dissapears
  • White noise as Android headset changes to thermal imaging
  • Added whirs
  • Same underlying interference as above

Categories
Sound For Screen

Ghost In The Shell

I have been asked by a 2nd year student to record, sound design and score a short film they are currently working on. I intend to use an excerpt of this as my submission, however until they have finished filming, I wont be able to start doing and sound design or foley. As a result I have decided to set about doing so for the chase scene in the animation ‘Ghost in the Shell’ as practice for my final submission.

In order to start the process I have decided to record the atmospheres first. After having been introduced to the Sennheiser Ambeo Mic in our spatialisation lessons I thought it could be interesting to use this mic for this purpose in order to catch a 360 degree scope of sound, making the experience all the more immersive.

After renting both the Ambeo mic and the Zoom F4, I attempted to take some ambisonic recordings in my room but struggled to understand why the recorded files on the SD card showed up on my computer as wav files instead of ambisonic files.

As a result I decided to undertake some more research into how to successfully record ambisonically using these equipment. I learnt about the importance of linked gains in ambisonic recordings in order to get the accuracy of levels of each channel absolutely matched. Furthermore I realised I had not set the right recording format on the F4, thus changing it from stereo to the Ambisonics A format.

An interesting thing to note is that you can use a pink noise generator to get the pre fader levels matched in separate channels if without a a device that has the capacity to link the faders on each channel.

I now intend to record the atmospheres using the city as my resource.

Though normally atmospheres are recorded – out of an interest in ambisonic field recordings i decided to rent out the Sennheiser Ambeo VR Mic along with the portable multitrack recording device Zoom F4. Whilst I aim to experiment in a variety of ways using this equipment, I feel the urge to record atmospheres as a way of exploring the widened sound image given by ambisonic recordings… bringing an immersive element to my sound piece…

Categories
Sound For Screen

Booming – Location Sound Recording

Taking the knowledge gained from reading ‘Production Sound Mixing’ forward, I did further research into booming on a film set prompted by Jessica’s mention of it in a previous lecture.

All in all, in order to be good at booming, you must be one of the most perceptive people on the set, staying aware of microphone capabilities, where the frame starts and ends and possible shadows or reflections.

In order to get the most natural sound, one must hold the microphone as close as they can to the person speaking without being seen in the frame of shot.

Borrowing a boom pole, Zoom F4 and shotgun mic from the kit room, putting it to the test in my own time, I quickly learnt how tiresome it can be holding it up for extensive periods of time, especially if needed to record audio during a wide shot. As a result I quickly learnt the correct ways in which holding the boom pole would relieve some form of stress from my arms, utilising height and also my shoulders.

Categories
Personal/ Relevant Sound For Screen

Production Sound Mixing

After reading the book ‘Production Sound Mixing’ by John J. Murphy, I came away with many tips and consequent ideas on how to successfully record sound for moving image.

In reference to wind, what one might think is only a gentle breeze, that can’t possibly do anything to a recording, most likely will, rendering the recording unusable. Use wind shields, any type of shelter and ultimately try to avoid wind at all costs.
Another must is to Verbally ID every take and rename files something useful, thus saving loads of time later. At the beginning or end of each take, state the location, when it is and what you’re recording is key to avoiding confusion when going back over the recordings.
Also, it is good practice to always monitor with your headphones on while recording anything. You don’t hear what your microphone/recorder is hearing, so wearing headphones when recording anything is necessary in order to identify anything disruptive like wind or overhead noises, and also to see if your recording levels are set up OK. It will also help one identify interesting details in the sound environment that they might want to focus on more.
Additionally, always record in WAV (uncompressed audio) format, in stereo, in order to ensure the highest quality of sound. Whilst the file size may be bigger, it can always be reduced later, but the quality of a source recording if you’ve originally captured it as a low-quality mono MP3 cannot be increased.
Lastly, when watching recording levels it is better to have them set slightly too low than too high – one sudden increase in volume in the sound environment and the sound will start clipping causing digital distortion which is impossible to get rid of and will ruin the recording. If the sound is a bit too quiet, you can always boost it in editing later on.

Categories
Collaboration (VR)

Combining Individual Contributions & Mixing

After finishing all our respective parts in relation to the Phonebooth game we set a date to meet up and mix the project together. This was a decision we made as a group so that we could all have an equal say in how the final product sounded. Meeting at mine, we set about combining all the audio we had recorded/ made, but only after we discussed and agreed on what we thought were the aesthetic requirements of the game. Some of which included bringing the User Interface sound fx as well as the dialogue to the forefront of the mix in order to lead with the narrative, whilst music and foley remained in the background. Some last minute touch ups on the overall flow of sounds within the game were made. Bringing all our individual elements was very satisfying as it Brought game to a new level of immersivity. Without the other elements my outlook on the game was fairly unimpressed due to the minimal nature of sounds needed. However when combined with my group member’s elements we were all extremely pleased at how well our independent work complimented each others. Surprisingly so, as minimal processing was needed as each element of ours held its own space in the spatial image of the mix-down.