Sound design for a system of 1000 distributed independent audio-visual devices

This paper describes the sound design for Bloom, a light and sound installation made up of 1000 distributed independent audio-visual pixel devices, each with RGB LEDs, Wifi, Accelerometer, GPS sensor, and sound hardware. These types of systems have been explored previously, but only a few systems have exceeded 30-50 devices and very few have included sound capability, and therefore the sound design possibilities for large systems of distributed audio devices are not well understood. In this article we describe the hardware and software implementation of sound synthesis for this system, and the implications for design of media for this context

Sound Design for a System of 1000 Distributed Independent Audio-Visual Devices

This paper describes the sound design for Bloom, a light and sound installation made up of 1000 distributed independent audio-visual pixel devices, each with RGB LEDs, Wifi, Accelerometer, GPS sensor, and sound hardware. These types of systems have been explored previously, but only a few systems have exceeded 30-50 devices and very few have included sound capability, and therefore the sound design possibilities for large systems of distributed audio devices are not yet well understood. In this article we describe the hardware and software implementation of sound synthesis for this system, and the implications for design of media for this context

The Music Of Peter Maxwell Davies Based On The Writings Of George Mackay Brown

The primary objective has been to demonstrate the stylistic changes in Maxwell Davies's music which have resulted from his settings of Mackay Browqn texts. This has involved a comparison with some of the composer's earlier works, particularly those with literary associations, and includes a discussion of the problems encountered when responding to 'expressionist' poetry. The differences between 'modernism' in music and in 1iterature have also been considered with reference to some aspects of literary theory. After a survey of Maxwell Davies's Mackay Brown settings in several genres, illustrating the extent to which the composer has been influenced by Mackay Brown's approach to narrative, especially with regard to his use of the multiple viewpoint, attention is focused on Maxwell Davies's Black Pentecost and Second Symphony. This comparison shows that the technique employed for a Mackay Brown setting and that for a large-scalke symphony are essentially the same, and that the differences are a matter of style, rather than compositional method. The thesis then develops the argument that because of the variety of styles employed by Maxwell Davies, conventional analysis has failed to deal adequately with all aspects of his music, most notably when texts are involved. Thus it is suggested that literary concepts can provide valuable illumination, particularly as regards the composer's use of 'defamiliarization' to creative a subversive effect. This device has frequently been employed in scores reflecting Maxwell Davies's attitude to cultural, political, or social issues - again developing aspects of Mackay Brown's influence - and in the light of recent trends in music analysis and literary theory, it forms the basis of a discussion of Resurrection, which was conceived partly in response to the principal themes of Thomas Mann's Doktor Faustus. However, while Mackay Brown indirectly influenced the structure of the opera, the stylistic change

The Music Sound

A guide for music: compositions, events, forms, genres, groups, history, industry, instruments, language, live music, musicians, songs, musicology, techniques, terminology , theory, music video. Music is a human activity which involves structured and audible sounds, which is used for artistic or aesthetic, entertainment, or ceremonial purposes. The traditional or classical European aspects of music often listed are those elements given primacy in European-influenced classical music: melody, harmony, rhythm, tone color/timbre, and form. A more comprehensive list is given by stating the aspects of sound: pitch, timbre, loudness, and duration. Common terms used to discuss particular pieces include melody, which is a succession of notes heard as some sort of unit; chord, which is a simultaneity of notes heard as some sort of unit; chord progression, which is a succession of chords (simultaneity succession); harmony, which is the relationship between two or more pitches; counterpoint, which is the simultaneity and organization of different melodies; and rhythm, which is the organization of the durational aspects of music

In Pursuit of Non-Knowledge: Perspectives on Performing with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company

The performance documentation for this research project can be accessed via links to an external website. The links are embedded into the thesis text. The same documentation is additionally privately held on De Montfort University Figshare. To request access to the Figshare pages please email [email protected] thesis documents an experience that took place over ten years performing as a guest musician with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. I am a professional musician, a cellist. Through this practice-based research project, I set out to understand the influence of an experience that changed and liberated me as a musician. In this autoethnographic and reflective study which investigates performance, the musician’s knowledge and experience are central in arriving at a synthesis of perceptions and methods. The output of the project is creative. Through exploratory performances undertaken over five years, specific questions regarding the unique practice of Merce Cunningham Dance Company musicians have been examined. By mounting another experience – the research project itself – I sought to establish, in particular, an understanding of a perception of a state of grace in performance, and to examine the concept of ‘Non-Knowledge’ as fundamental to that experience

A musical game of bowls featuring the DIADs

We describe a project in which a game of lawn bowls was recreated using Distributed Interactive Audio Devices (DIADs), to create an interactive musical experience in the form of a game. This paper details the design of the underlying digital music system, some of the compositional and design considerations, and the technical challenges involved. We discuss future directions for our system and compositional method