220C Portfolio

Final Project: Links and Files

The second of two posts about my final project. This post will contain links to audio recordings, ChucK files, etc.
A quick note -- it will be easiest to play my project off of my laptop. It requires adding shreds in ChucK, and references a number of files that would have to be downloaded onto whichever computer is running ChucK. The final piece is intended for four channels, but I have mono and stereo versions ready as well. Each of the audio files in the google drive link have seen editing and effects-implementation in both ChucK and Audacity.

Link to ChucK file prepped for stereo or four-channel playback.

Link to a google drive with all of the files used in the above ChucK code.

Link to the stereo-left recording of the final piece.

Link to the stereo-right recording of the final piece.

Link to some ChucK code that will play the stereo files.

Link to a mono-track recording of the final piece.

June 9th, 2019

Final Project: Updates and Revisions

This is the first of two posts relating to the final product of my final project. This post will contain updates and revisions, as several elements of my piece changed late in the game.
The first update is that I started working on analysis/resynthesis too late in the quarter. When I started looking into how the effect might work, it was interesting to learn about, but I struggled with implementation. Additionally, the scenes containing the character I wanted to apply resynthesis to the most (Satan/Hades/The Devil) were adding too much length to my project, and the scenes I preferred contained a different set of characters.

The second update is that I didn't find that granular synthesis was adding much to my project. The effect it induced on the voices was interesting -- and fun to play with -- but the mark of granulation was too jarring for what I was hoping for.

The final update is that I'm quite happy with the final product. It feels and sounds like a radio play, and it is constructed in a way that could only have been done using ChucK. I wish I had been on top of my game for more of the quarter, so that I could have started experimenting with resynthesis earlier on. The finished piece is definitely simpler than I had imagined it being earlier in the quarter, but I think it works the way it is. In the future, were I to expand on this project and do Eurydice in the play's entirety, I would look to include resynthesis for the voice of Satan, as well as create an ambient soundscape for the Underworld.

June 8th, 2019

Granular Synthesis!!!

My SECOND attempt at playing with gran. synth as a way to produce strange vocal effects.
I have my computer back from the Apple Store and things seem to be functioning correctly! AND I figured out my granular synthesis problem (mostly). I still have some refining to do, but I'm in a much closer ball park with it than I was before. And a quick update on recording -- still working through the play text, but plan on having it all done early next week. Once I have it all recorded, I'll select clips and hopefully be able to share some selections from Eurydice next week.

link to a much better attempt at granular synthesis!

May 22nd, 2019

Granular Synthesis???

My first attempt at playing with gran. synth as a way to produce strange vocal effects.
This was honestly a rough attempt. I used the audio clip from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (see last post) and have been having trouble making a granularly synthesized version of it that is still intelligible. Since I'm making a radio play, it's important that the words be understood to the listener, and I'm having trouble figuring out what variable in granular synthesis I ought to be adjusting.

link to audio for my first attempt at granular synthesis

May 14th, 2019

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard.

Another audio file that I am running tests on.
I plan to use this text to figure out how successfully/accurately I can pan different voices from different speakers that are speaking in the same audio file. I will also probably use this text to test granular synthesis, as it the actors speak fast and the text is full of consonants that are not ideal for granular synthesis.

link to R&G page!

May 6th, 2019

A quick update on the radio play!

Play selection -- Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl.
Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl, published 2003, is an adaptation of the myth of Orpheus from Greek mythology. It is told from the perspective of Eurydice, and tells the story from her marriage to Orpheus, her death, her journey to the underworld, and Orpheus's attempt to save her. It features several scenes in the real world, several with a Greek god in the underworld, and a chorus of talking stones. For my final project, I will compile several selected scenes from Eurydice that I think would benefit from computer-generated effects.

May 2nd, 2019

L'Intruder by Maurice Maeterlinck.

Some base text I am conducting experiments on.
This post examines some panning methods in ChucK and Audacity. The link below below will take you to an audio file of a ~3 minute radio play I recorded in the past. Until I have finished recording the text for my final project, I will be testing various effects on L'Intruder.

link to L'Intruder page!

April 29th, 2019

final project proposal.

this post includes a description of my final project.
For my final project, I will be exploring the ways I can employ various compositional techniques in ChucK to create a radio play. I am still deciding on a text, but I am closely looking at Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl, 4.48 Psychosis, by Sarah Kane, and Metamorphoses, by Mary Zimmerman. Each, in their own ways, provides ample opportunity to play with panning and explore other effects I can apply to recorded vocal samples. The final product will hopefully make use of at least four channels, maybe eight, and I will also provide a version made for binaural listening via headphones.

link to final project!

April 18th, 2019