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summer_2019 [2019/10/07 11:39] givanbelasummer_2019 [2019/10/30 12:14] (current) givanbela
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 Lately with the proliferation of small inexpensive computer boards, and new open source algorithms like machine learning, a new sort of creative installations are coming about. Some of them take up older ideas and techniques, others are introducing new types of producing, interacting and experiencing sound/music. Reading through last year's notes let's mention some interesting music events, ideas, books that we accidently encountered while traveling. And all about sound!  Lately with the proliferation of small inexpensive computer boards, and new open source algorithms like machine learning, a new sort of creative installations are coming about. Some of them take up older ideas and techniques, others are introducing new types of producing, interacting and experiencing sound/music. Reading through last year's notes let's mention some interesting music events, ideas, books that we accidently encountered while traveling. And all about sound! 
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 +{{:iwas17:easterncrosssky.jpg?400|}}
  
 During long distance train rides there are many things one wonders about. One sunny afternoon, maybe there was something in the sliding landscape, or about people walking up and down, but a simple thought came to mind: who invented the first sound recorder? and when and how did it work? Contrary to common belief, it was not the tinfoil recording “Mary had a little lamb” by Thomas Edison that was the first recorder. A certain Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a typesetter/librarian from Paris invented sound recording when he wanted to make a machine that would do for the ear what the camera did for the eye. He called it "phonautograph" inscribed sounds onto paper, over time, to be studied visually. The recordings he called "phonautograms". He refined the instrument between 1853-57, and it became a standard laboratory instrument for researchers in the then new science of acoustics. During his life he considered Edison as only improving his invention. But it is more likely that Thomas Edison came independently to making devices to reproduce sound. Still it is a remarkable instrument. It took 150 years, and then IRENE, an optical scanner was developed that could read the phonautograms. Since 2009 an informal collaborative of audio historians and sound engineers, called First Sounds, made the recordings available online. On their website you can read more about Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and download 3 versions of the well known French children song "Au clair de la lune", reproduced by IRENE.  During long distance train rides there are many things one wonders about. One sunny afternoon, maybe there was something in the sliding landscape, or about people walking up and down, but a simple thought came to mind: who invented the first sound recorder? and when and how did it work? Contrary to common belief, it was not the tinfoil recording “Mary had a little lamb” by Thomas Edison that was the first recorder. A certain Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a typesetter/librarian from Paris invented sound recording when he wanted to make a machine that would do for the ear what the camera did for the eye. He called it "phonautograph" inscribed sounds onto paper, over time, to be studied visually. The recordings he called "phonautograms". He refined the instrument between 1853-57, and it became a standard laboratory instrument for researchers in the then new science of acoustics. During his life he considered Edison as only improving his invention. But it is more likely that Thomas Edison came independently to making devices to reproduce sound. Still it is a remarkable instrument. It took 150 years, and then IRENE, an optical scanner was developed that could read the phonautograms. Since 2009 an informal collaborative of audio historians and sound engineers, called First Sounds, made the recordings available online. On their website you can read more about Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and download 3 versions of the well known French children song "Au clair de la lune", reproduced by IRENE. 
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   * http://irene.lbl.gov/sample-page/irene-home-history   * http://irene.lbl.gov/sample-page/irene-home-history
  
-But what about today, can we make a recorder ourselves? There are some DIY designs online, but most of them don't really have a good quality, or don't produce anything else than the cheaper commercial counterparts. But then we ran into the Audiomoth, a device for recording in nature, by an UK based research group. They produce it in batches and are stimulating open science projects with it. The device is tiny, consumes few power, and is a full-spectrum acoustic logger. AudioMoth can record from audible frequenciesto ultrasonic frequencies. It is capable of recording uncompressed audio to a microSD card. I was taking it on the road and it became very quickly my quick-and-dirty field recorder for registering sound impressions. It will never replace a more expensive device but it provided me with a series of morning concerts of birds in cities and rural areas. Like Scott's invention, it has no playback possibilities. +{{:iwas17:irene.jpg?250|}} 
 +{{:iwas17:phonautogram.jpg?250|}} 
 +{{:iwas17:phonautograph.jpg?250|}} 
 + 
 +But what about today, can we make a recorder ourselves? There are some DIY designs online, but most of them don't really have a good quality, or don't produce anything else than the cheaper commercial counterparts. But then we ran into the Audiomoth, a device for recording in nature, by an UK based research group. They produce it in batches and are stimulating open science projects with it. The device is tiny, consumes few power, and is a full-spectrum acoustic logger. Audiomoth can record from audible frequencies to ultrasonic frequencies. It is capable of recording uncompressed audio to a micro SD card. I was taking it on the road and it became very quickly my quick-and-dirty field recorder for registering sound impressions. It will never replace a more expensive device but it provided me with a series of morning concerts of birds in cities and rural areas. Like Scott's invention, it has no playback possibilities. 
  
   * https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-Spy-Bug-Arduino-Voice-Recorder/   * https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-Spy-Bug-Arduino-Voice-Recorder/
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   * https://kanal.brussels/en/live-shows/nerones-lyra-1   * https://kanal.brussels/en/live-shows/nerones-lyra-1
   * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10GgHQ-8S5A   * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10GgHQ-8S5A
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 +{{:iwas17:kanal-lyre.jpg?400|}}{{:iwas17:kanal-longstrings.jpg?400|}}
  
 At the same time and with the same spirit of collaboration, a special 'hackathon' was organized, about programming, AR/VR and soundscapes: the soundscape hackathon.  At the same time and with the same spirit of collaboration, a special 'hackathon' was organized, about programming, AR/VR and soundscapes: the soundscape hackathon. 
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   * https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon   * https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon
   * https://soundcloud.com/lenoizemaker   * https://soundcloud.com/lenoizemaker
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 +{{:iwas17:lenoizemaker.jpg?400|}}
  
 Floris Vanhoof (BE) is a young sound artist, who is profiling himself more and more in an international media-artistic context. He has been working for a while on a work called 'The Fluid Computer'. Apart from the book and vinyl release we visited his spatial setup at the Ghent Academy's exhibition space (KASK), consisting of intriguing cardboard shapes fit with speakers. He built everything from scratch including the multichannel mixer. There has been already a vinyl release with the same name, but we were particularly charmed by the setup at the Ghent Academy's exhibition space.  Personally not so fond of his expanded cinema experiments, which dwell too much within a retro analog style, we enjoyed the subtle movements of objects and sound through the venue. Certainly the surprising addition of a Leslie speaker adds to the originality of the work. In his own words: "this installation uses a long string of digital code, as raw material. By filtering these information pulses and feeding them back to the input the sound is colored and we seem to recognize a pattern in the noise. What normally happens behind the scenes of our computer is scattered here in a scenography or large geometric shapes, by the rotating Leslie loudspeaker". The title seems to be inspired by Daniel Hillis' popular science book 'The Pattern on the Stone' (1998).  Floris Vanhoof (BE) is a young sound artist, who is profiling himself more and more in an international media-artistic context. He has been working for a while on a work called 'The Fluid Computer'. Apart from the book and vinyl release we visited his spatial setup at the Ghent Academy's exhibition space (KASK), consisting of intriguing cardboard shapes fit with speakers. He built everything from scratch including the multichannel mixer. There has been already a vinyl release with the same name, but we were particularly charmed by the setup at the Ghent Academy's exhibition space.  Personally not so fond of his expanded cinema experiments, which dwell too much within a retro analog style, we enjoyed the subtle movements of objects and sound through the venue. Certainly the surprising addition of a Leslie speaker adds to the originality of the work. In his own words: "this installation uses a long string of digital code, as raw material. By filtering these information pulses and feeding them back to the input the sound is colored and we seem to recognize a pattern in the noise. What normally happens behind the scenes of our computer is scattered here in a scenography or large geometric shapes, by the rotating Leslie loudspeaker". The title seems to be inspired by Daniel Hillis' popular science book 'The Pattern on the Stone' (1998). 
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   * https://florisvanhoof.com/   * https://florisvanhoof.com/
   * https://kraak.bandcamp.com/album/the-fluid-computer   * https://kraak.bandcamp.com/album/the-fluid-computer
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 +{{:iwas17:fluidcomputer-vanhoof.jpg?400|}}
  
 Some days later we met up with computer music pioneer David Rosenboom for his concert in the Brussels venue 'Les Ateliers Claus'. Next to his own experimental compositional work, he was part of collaborations with for instance Jon Hassell, Jacqueline Humbert, Terry Riley, and Anthony Braxton. Then his research into complex dynamics and neural biofeedback, drove Roseboom in the 1970s to experiment with EEG's and music. In 1975 he released 'Brainwave music' which recently was re-released and expanded. There is also a new 35 minute version of Rosenboom’s "Portable Gold and Philosophers’ Stones" on 'Deviant Resonances", his last double-CD release. Recently he also started to tour again, with the latest portable EEG equipment. The pieces are based on a sonification of brainwaves, which in turn are modified by the listening process itself. David Rosenboom also introduces musical sequences which in turn generate sound differences in the perceived EEG data. Also the listeners can manipulate the sounds in a creative way. It is a kind of coupling of brains, people/listeners, musicians and instruments. The result is a kind of spectral music, patterns of resonances, and Rosenboom stresses the fact that it is a creative work using scientific and sound technology, but closely linked to an awareness of the nature of listening itself.  Some days later we met up with computer music pioneer David Rosenboom for his concert in the Brussels venue 'Les Ateliers Claus'. Next to his own experimental compositional work, he was part of collaborations with for instance Jon Hassell, Jacqueline Humbert, Terry Riley, and Anthony Braxton. Then his research into complex dynamics and neural biofeedback, drove Roseboom in the 1970s to experiment with EEG's and music. In 1975 he released 'Brainwave music' which recently was re-released and expanded. There is also a new 35 minute version of Rosenboom’s "Portable Gold and Philosophers’ Stones" on 'Deviant Resonances", his last double-CD release. Recently he also started to tour again, with the latest portable EEG equipment. The pieces are based on a sonification of brainwaves, which in turn are modified by the listening process itself. David Rosenboom also introduces musical sequences which in turn generate sound differences in the perceived EEG data. Also the listeners can manipulate the sounds in a creative way. It is a kind of coupling of brains, people/listeners, musicians and instruments. The result is a kind of spectral music, patterns of resonances, and Rosenboom stresses the fact that it is a creative work using scientific and sound technology, but closely linked to an awareness of the nature of listening itself. 
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   * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Euoyp1Yfs   * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Euoyp1Yfs
   * http://www.soundhack.com/echophon/   * http://www.soundhack.com/echophon/
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 +{{:iwas17:brainwavemusic-cover.jpg?250|}}
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 +{{:iwas17:rosenboom-modular.jpg?250|}}
  
 Some projects we were following over the last years go even further. The first one also in a coupling with a physical piano. Eduardo R. Miranda (ICCMR, Plymouth University) has been working for years at a biocomputer for musical composition and performance. The biocomputer consists of programmable living organisms which are cultivated on circuit boards, and which are capable of growing their own circuits. They become responsive for resonances and respond, triggering electromagnet vibrations on piano strings. Miranda is currently performing live with the thing, and was recently at Ars Electronica (Linz, AT). In the two available documentaries one can hear and see this astonishing instrument.  Some projects we were following over the last years go even further. The first one also in a coupling with a physical piano. Eduardo R. Miranda (ICCMR, Plymouth University) has been working for years at a biocomputer for musical composition and performance. The biocomputer consists of programmable living organisms which are cultivated on circuit boards, and which are capable of growing their own circuits. They become responsive for resonances and respond, triggering electromagnet vibrations on piano strings. Miranda is currently performing live with the thing, and was recently at Ars Electronica (Linz, AT). In the two available documentaries one can hear and see this astonishing instrument. 
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   * https://anarchy.translocal.jp/radio/micro/howtosimplestTX.html   * https://anarchy.translocal.jp/radio/micro/howtosimplestTX.html
   * https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691164816/sounding-the-limits-of-life   * https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691164816/sounding-the-limits-of-life
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 +{{:iwas17:youngzinovieff.jpg?400|}}
 +{{:iwas17:Helmreich.jpg?300|}}
 +{{:iwas17:papanek-remake.jpg?400|}}
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 +Published: https://www.hisvoice.cz/letni-cestopis-2019-tvurci-stroje-ktere-mozna-ziji/
  
  
summer_2019.1570441149.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/10/07 11:39 by givanbela