From Autonomous to Performative Control of Timbral Spatialisation

Timbral spatialisation is one such process that requires the independent control of potentially thousands of parameters (Torchia, et al., 2003). Current research on controlling timbral spatialisation has focussed either on automated generative systems, or suggested that to design trajectories in software is to write every movement line by line (Normandeau, 2009). This research proposes that Wave Terrain Synthesis may be used as an effective bridging control structure for timbral spatialisation, enabling the performative control of large numbers of parameter sets associated with software. This methodology also allows for compact interactive mapping possibilities for a physical controller, and may also be effectively mapped gesturall

Sound shapes and spatial texture: Frequency-space morphology

The use of Wave Terrain Synthesis as a control mechanism is a governing system that allows the performer to create a complex and coordinated change across an existing complex parametric system. This research has focused largely on the application of Wave Terrain Synthesis for the control of Timbral Spatialisation. Various mappings of the Wave Terrain mechanism are discussed, to highlight some various ways in which frequency-space morphology may be approached with such a model. With the means of smoothly interpolating between various terrain and trajectory states allow the performer to control the evolving nature of sound shapes and spatial texture generated by the model

Spectromorphology and spatiomorphology of sound shapes: Audio-rate AEP and DBAP panning of spectra

Explorations of a new mapping strategy for spectral spatial-isation demonstrate a concise and flexible control of both spatiomorphology and spectromorphology. With the crea-tion of customized software by the author for audio-rate histograms, spectral processing function smoothing, spec-tral centroid width modulation, audio-rate distance-based amplitude panning, audio-rate ambisonic equivalent pan-ning, a growing library of audio trajectory functions, and an assortment of spectral transformation functions, this article tries to explain the rationale of this process

Studying the perception of sound in space : granular sounds spatialized in a high-order ambisonics system

Space is an important aspect of music composition that received little emphasis in certain periods of the history of Western music. However, in the twentieth century, electroacoustic music reintroduced this element by utilizing the different spatialization methods available. In this article, we discuss the methodology of analysis and the results of a study of the perception of sound in space involving sounds generated by granular synthesis that were spatialized in a high-order ambisonics system performed at CIRRMT’s Immersive Presence Laboratory at McGill University. We investigated two hypotheses of sound perception in space: 1) the variation of the granular synthesis parameters produces differences in the morphology of sounds perceived in their time-varying spatial distribution; and 2) the presence of more morphological sound variations when higher orders of ambisonics are employed, in addition to the generation of sound fields with more depth. In order to verify these hypotheses, we employed a method of analysis based on graphical representations of data derived from audio descriptors, such as graphical curves, a graphic representation of volume and phase space graphics. As a result, we observed that when higher orders of ambisonics are employed, the listener perceives more variations in frequency and intensity in sound spatialization, in addition to a preponderance of the decorrelation effect. Such effect is related to the presence of more diffuse sound fields262CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP304431/2018-4; 429620/2018-72016/23433-

Projetando o espectro do som no espaço: imagens-movimento de parciais e grãos sonoros

Enquanto o tempo é sempre mencionado como característica inerente à música, o espaço na maioria das vezes não é tratado como categoria operatória da composição, algo que mudou de figura durante o século XX devido a novas abordagens composicionais e teóricas. Esteartigo apresenta a construção de um instrumento digital em Max/MSP maleável a diferentes configurações de difusão sonora e congregando diferentes possibilidades de síntese com espacialização em ambissonia de ordem superior, com o intuito de integrar o espectro do som à espacialização na música eletroacústica (acusmática ou mista) pela projeção de parciais e/ou grãos em movimento no espaço de difusão. Para tanto, são apresentados osseguintes referenciais teóricos: 1) abordagens históricas do espaço na composição musical com ênfase nos séculos XX e XXI; 2) o sistema Ambisonics; e 3) uma conceituação sobre os modelos sonoros ondulatório e granular, dessa forma situando a proposta na área da criação musical para sistemas com grande densidade de alto- -falantes. Como resultados, apresento as ferramentas de composição e espacialização incluídas no instrumento digital desenvolvido, além do experimento composicional Imagens transdutivas. Como conclusão, esboça-se uma reflexão sobre a percepção sonora em sistemas imersivos a partir das ideias de imagem-movimento e blocos de espaço-tempo

Pensamiento musical dinámico algunos acercamientos analíticos al uso del espacio en la composición de música instrumental y electrónica

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es describir algunas de las técnicas de composición que se han ocupado de la realidad dinámica del sonido en el espacio de varias maneras. La transcripción de procesos tales como la aceleración, el efecto Doppler, las trayectorias de sonido, y la manera de tratar el tiempo y las fuentes musicales en el espacio en la música instrumental comprenden el primer capítulo, el cual también hace referencia a la tradición del pensamiento de dinámica musical de Xenakis, y el enfoque particular de Julio Estrada. El segundo capítulo comenta estas mismas preocupaciones desde el punto de vista de la música electrónica, concentrándose en sólidas técnicas de enrutamiento para obras de varias pistas proyectadas en el espacio. Las estructuras para controlar dinámicamente las rutas del sonido son objeto de estudio, del sonido pre-concebido compuesto casi arquitectónicamente organizado de Poème Electronique de Varèse, hasta la “Acousmatique” tradición francesa (que incluyen un artista en vivo controlando las rutas), hasta métodos más recientes, tales como el paneo espectral o los más clásicos, como el uso de controles aleatorios correlacionados y no correlacionados en el espacio

DYNAMIC MUSICAL THINKING Some analytical approaches to the use of space in instrumental and electronic music composition

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es describir algunas de las técnicas de composición que se han ocupado de la realidad dinámica del sonido en el espacio de varias maneras. La transcripción de procesos tales como la aceleración, el efecto Doppler, las trayectorias de sonido, y la manera de tratar el tiempo y las fuentes musicales en el espacio en la música instrumental comprenden el primer capítulo, el cual también hace referencia a la tradición del pensamiento de dinámica musical de Xenakis, y el enfoque particular de Julio Estrada. El segundo capítulo comenta estas mismas preocupaciones desde el punto de vista de la música electrónica, concentrándose en sólidas técnicas de enrutamiento para obras de varias pistas proyectadas en el espacio. Las estructuras para controlar dinámicamente las rutas del sonido son objeto de estudio, del sonido pre-concebido compuesto casi arquitectónicamente organizado de Poème Electronique de Varèse, hasta la “Acousmatique” tradición francesa (que incluyen un artista en vivo controlando las rutas), hasta métodos más recientes, tales como el paneo espectral o los más clásicos, como el uso de controles aleatorios correlacionados y no correlacionados en el espacio.Abstract The main purpose of this work is to outline some compositional techniques that have dealt with the dynamic reality of sound in space in various ways. Transcription of processes such as acceleration, Doppler effect, and sound trajectories, and the way of dealing with time and musical sources in space in instrumental music are the body of my first chapter, in which I will refer as well to the tradition of dynamic musical thinking of Xenakis, and the particular approach of Julio Estrada. The second chapter will comment these same concerns from the point of view of electronic music, concentrating on sound routing techniques for multi-track works projected in space. The structures for controlling dynamically routes of sound are the subject of study, from the pre-conceived composed almost architectural organized sound of Varèse’s Poème Electronique to the French “Acousmatique” tradition (which include a live performer controlling this routes) to more recent methods such as spectral panning or more classical ones as the use of correlated and uncorrelated random routed in space. The third chapter will focus on the use of space as an instrument itself, and as a control interface, and will highlight some interesting use of microphonic techniques mainly in the live electronics context

Techniques for Multi-Channel Real-Time Spatial Distribution Using Frequency-Domain Processing.

The authors have developed several methods for spatially distributing spectral material in real-time using frequency-domain processing. Applying spectral spatialization techniques to more than two channels introduces a few obstacles, particularly with controllers, visualization and the manipulation of large amounts of control data. Various interfaces are presented which address these issues. We also discuss 3D “cube” controllers and visualizations, which go a long way in aiding usability. A range of implementations were realized, each with its own interface, automation, and output characteristics. We also explore a number of novel techniques. For example, a sound’s spectral components can be mapped in space based on its own components ’ energy, or the energy of another signal’s components (a kind of spatial cross-synthesis). Finally, we address aesthetic concerns, such as perceptual and sonic coherency, which arise when sounds have been spectrally dissected and scattered across a multichannel spatial field in 64, 128 or more spectral bands.