Digital Craft Minor 4th Year: Cybernetics
Contents
Project 1: Critical Making exercise
Reimagine an existing technology or platform using the provided sets of cards. For this first project, I grouped up with Tutu, Thijs and Naima and we picked three random cards each from different category.
Inspiration
Our starting point
Prototype
Project 2: Cybernetic Prosthetics
Research
First Testing
Making Prototype
Final Result
Aquatic Acoustic
Video Link : https://vimeo.com/292687674
Project 3: From Devices to systems
Cassette recorder to ???
Project 4: Cartography of Complex Systems & the Anthropocene
Contact Microphone
Algorithmic Composition, Synthesis_SuperCollider
SuperCollider https://supercollider.github.io/
Algorave https://algorave.com/
Ableton, Found sound
So I decided to make a composition with Ableton. I was interested in found sound, and decided to use them as the musical source. Nowadays we are living in the age of mechanical reproduction and it somehow changed our perspective on beauty. Whenever I walk down the streets, I hear the noise of construction works such as drills, banging hammers that become repetitive in my head and suddenly become a rhythm and then music. First I did some field recordings and manipulated them in DAW Ableton. I warped, cropped the sound and put audio effects to recreate the sound. During my research on this topic, I drew my inspiration from found sound and Musique Concrete. Pierre Schaeffer is the pioneer of this experimental music. He recorded sound and shaped them to completely different sounds, where listeners cannot identify the origin of the sound. I put the recorded found sounds in the drum rack to use each elements as a percussion sound. I think pattern and repetition are what makes noises and sound into music. I decided to make a drum machine interface where audiences can create their own beat from the found sounds. I can use touchOSC application as a MIDI controller with an iPad. Then I wanted to visualise the patterns and repetition of the beats. I wanted to visualise it as a movement using motors. I thought this way of creating optical kinetic installation would be effective to show the mesmerising effect of the repetition of the patterns.
OSC
Open Sound Control (OSC) is a protocol for networking sound synthesisers, computers, and other multimedia devices for purposes such as musical performance or show control. OSC's advantages include interoperability, accuracy, flexibility and enhanced organisation and documentation. With the Ableton Connection Kit (https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/connection-kit/), it is easy to control motors, LED, etc via Arduino. However, since I am planning to use 12 servo motors and using a shield for Arduino, the digital outputs have been changed. So Ableton could not read the shield. I asked Mike in interaction station for a help, and he suggested me to send OSC to Processing and connect it to Arduino.
There have been many attempts to combine visual and sound so far. Lots of musicians and performers are combining visual, such as video, light these days. I want to further explore how to combine sound and other visual since visual and spatial effects enhance musical experience.
Reference
Caterina Barbieri
Pierre Schaeffer
Joao Martinho Moura
Paul Prudence
Field Research
Klankvorm @V2
The Rest is Noise: Alva Noto
Instrument Make Play @Worm
