For this assignment, I used nature sounds found on freesound.org, namely water drops and thunder. After figuring out how to read and play wav files in ChucK, I experimented with built in SndBuf specification and UGen filtering. In the first example, I looped a clip of a water drop and randomized the panning location of each loop. I was pleasantly surprised with the perceived differences in rhythm and timbre that result from this approach. I readily admit that these are only beginning steps, and I have a long way to go in terms of concept and composition. But this experimentation has provided a sound starting point (pun intended).
Secondly, I played with the ResonZ UGen and the rate parameter of SndBuf. I used a long clip for this experiment, a 35-second recording of thunder claps during a storm. To shorten the clip, I used the positioning parameter of SndBuf and set the looping time to 900 ms. I then Randomized both the rate of playback and ResonZ's frequency setting. The result is a really interesting, almost percussive use of the thunder clap sound.
UPDATE: Here's the current version of my Homebrew. It's extremely messy and quite abrasive, but some of my core ideas are there. Despite the transitions being sloppy, I do want to flow from the pure thunder sound, to percussive raindrops, to the comb-filtered thunder sounds which layer rhythmically over time. I have nothing resembling an ending, so I have to figure that out. I also have yet to determine the best way to end a shred after sporking it, so that's my next step. But here is the Homebrew in all it's current glory:
FINAL DELIVERABLE: What would it be like to feel and hear a storm, documented not in a field recording, but in an aesthetic representation that condenses the chaos, repetition, rise, and fall of the event? My homebrew – "Stormbrew" – attempts to represent this idea. Processing field recordings of thunder, rain, and wind, the listener is engulfed in a collage of sound that is at times calming – and at others disturbing. And at the end, we are dropped back to the beginning, the storm passed.