Spring

"Spring" is a composition utilizing sounds from the natural world. I have been gathering sounds from Stanford Campus and Erastradero Nature Preserve nearby and am using Ableton 9 to spatialize this piece. The hope is to create a sense of movement for the listener as they "travel" through the environment hearing different sound sources. Additionally, an element of change comes from the evolution of sound sources throughout the piece, from bugs and birds to skateboards and cars beginning to overtake these original, natural sources.

Currently, I am working in a panning system through an 8-Channel output, utilizing Ableton's send/return system. Movement goes from speaker to speaker and places each sound source around the listener in their space. I have a small number of usable sounds and have been trying out different methods on each: additions of output to make it into two separate sound sources, panning movement from one speaker to another, panning movement across multiple speakers, adding distance from listener.

Final Project:

Spring's final composition provided a brief, simple story arc of nature through the surrounding area. the opening sounds are an orchestra of "tree bugs" encircling the listener and providing a soft, subtle start to the piece. We then hear some living entity walking in the dirt around us, making their way known with the ground crunching under their feet. They walk by the listener and towards a gentle stream. As the natural sounds increase in volume, they begin to be interrupted by engine sounds and driving until all is unheard under the loud sounds of construction. Finally, a car door closes, followed by silence. Only then do we hear the tree bugs" from the start of the piece.

The story defined in "sprung" simply relates a history of what progress has done to micro-ecosystems such as the Palo Alto area. The addition of bugs at the end suggests a new cycle to be repeated in a similar manner.

Links:

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungA.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungB.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungC.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungD.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungE.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungF.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungG.wav

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/sprungH.wav

Spring's final arrangement is broken down into 8 wav files, each corresponding to a different channel in an 8-speaker array. The set-up is in stereo pairs with A and B corresponding to the left and right of the frontmost pair, C and D the next row back, E and F the next row back, and G and H the rearmost speakers behind the listener.

For stereo listening, the binaural rendering is found : https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~bjosie/binauralSprung.wav