Homework #2: Sound Peeking

Renee Q.

October 21, 2024

Music 256A / CS 476A, Stanford University

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Final Deliverables

Name: Dualscape

Description: Dualscape, an audio-visual narrative, is a dynamic exploration of sound visualization using ChuGL. This project integrates auditory inputs generated using ChucK into visually captivating displays, leveraging both mirrored waveforms and spectral landscapes. It creates a symmetrical, almost ethereal visual response that is deeply intertwined with the underlying audio narrative. The visualizer not only serves to depict sound in an artistic form but also adds a layer of interpretation, enhancing the audience’s emotional and sensory engagement with the music.

Reflection: The concept of Dualscape builds on a desire to represent the multifaceted nature of experiences through audio-visual media. The visualizer, themed around motifs such as a film strip, the soul departing the body, and flipping pages, aims to encapsulate the richness and diversity of life’s journey. Each visual motif is chosen for its symbolic resonance; the film strip speaks to life viewed in sequences of events, the soul’s journey reflects transient moments, and flipping pages represent the continuous and varied pages of life experiences. The shifting colors and speeds in the visualization are designed to reflect changes in life’s tempo and mood, enhancing the narrative depth. In the audio composition, I used randomness to symbolize the unpredictability of life, while deliberate delays introduced by noise elements and the ethereal quality of reverbs created a sense of the narrative unfolding across different realms or states of consciousness.

Technical and Aesthetic Goals 

There are four major phases featured in this audio-visual experience, alongside an introduction, a transition, and a fade-out. In particular, the color change in the first phase depends on the change in interpolation value in the waveform, and the main change in the third phase is in the audio, using a percussive noise to create a sense of the rhythm being slightly delayed. Finally, the fourth phase aims to create an ethereal atmosphere, contrasting the previous three phases. The narrative throughout largely featured randomness and experimentation with various textures, mirroring the unpredictability and complexity of human experiences. By using randomness, I aim to invoke a sense of spontaneity and organic flow, making each viewing and listening experience unique. This approach not only aligned with the technical goal of demonstrating real-time audio-visual interaction but also influenced the aesthetic, allowing viewers to feel a direct and personal connection to the unfolding narrative. I hope this experience invites the audience to not just observe but to experience the art as a living, breathing entity.

Challenges

Creating Dualscape was both challenging and enlightening. One of the main challenges was ensuring that the visual output did not just mirror the audio but also added a layer of interpretation that could stand on its own. Balancing the technical aspects of sound visualization with the aesthetic need to make the viewer “feel something” required some experimentation and iteration. Another inherent challenge was lining up the audio with the visual, since there are multiple phases that needed the audio and the visual to be directly aligned. However, I felt that making this visualizer was an overall growth experience, and I appreciate the deep dive into both ChucK and ChuGL that it necessitated.

Code

To start the visualizer, simply type chuck dualscape_film.ck in the downloaded visualizer folder.

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Milestone Deliverables

Name: Dualscape

Description: Dualscape is crafted using ChuGL to transform audio into visual displays. This art piece dynamically represents audio through mirrored waveforms and spectral landscapes, creating a symmetrical and ethereal visual response to sound inputs. It features both a traditional waveform and a unique mirrored 'waterfall' spectral display, enhancing the visual depth and symmetry. Further, bloom effects intensify the visual contrast, offering a mesmerizing experience that harmonizes sight and sound. Dualscape not only demonstrates the technical integration of sound and visuals but also explores the artistic representation of audio patterns.

Reflection: In this project, I attempted to experiment with the fluid, organic forms of the sound spectrum. The use of a minimalist color palette—stark blacks against luminescent whites—not only accentuates the symmetrical beauty of the audio-driven waveforms but also guides our eyes to linger on the rhythmic oscillations that beat at the heart of this visual experience. With the bloom effect, I aimed to soften the edges of these waveforms, endowing the visual with a celestial quality and making it feel as if the light itself emanates from within the piece. This ethereal glow blurs the rigid confines typically associated with digital art, inviting instead a dreamlike state where the digital and the natural world seem to converge in a harmonious dance. Moreover, while unintended initially, the waterfall plot to display spectrums over time contains a touch of seemingly glitchy elements within this otherwise smoothly flowing visualization. As such, I thought these glitches were not merely disruptions but integral to the piece in terms of reflecting the unpredictable yet thrilling nature of life’s spontaneity. These deliberate imperfections challenge the smoothness of the digital medium, underscoring that beauty and intrigue often lie in the unexpected and imperfect. I’m interested in further exploring more of how moments of calm and disorder coexist and define our human experience. This artwork encourages a personal connection, allowing us to see reflections of our own lives in the interplay between light and shadow, order and chaos—a continuous exchange where each moment, whether clear or obscured, forms part of a greater whole that is endlessly unfolding before our eyes.

Code