3D Composer: A Software for Micro-composition

The aim of this compositional research project is to find new paradigms of expression and representation of musical information, supported by technology. This may further our understanding of how artistic intention materialises during the production of a musical work. A further aim is to create a software device, which will allow the user to generate, analyse and manipulate abstract musical information within a multi-dimensional environment. The main intent of this software and composition portfolio is to examine the process involved during the development of a compositional tool to verify how transformations applied to the conceptualisation of musical abstraction will affect musical outcome, and demonstrate how this transformational process would be useful in a creative context. This thesis suggests a reflection upon various technological and conceptual aspects within a dynamic multimedia framework. The discussion situates the artistic work of a composer within the technological sphere, and investigates the role of technology and its influences during the creative process. Notions of space are relocated in the scope of a personal compositional direction in order to develop a new framework for musical creation. The author establishes theoretical ramifications and suggests a definition for micro-composition. The main aspect focuses on the ability to establish a direct conceptual link between visual elements and their correlated musical output, ultimately leading to the design of a software called 3D-Composer, a tool for the visualisation of musical information as a means to assist composers to create works within a new methodological and conceptual realm. Of particular importance is the ability to transform musical structures in three-dimensional space, based on the geometric properties of micro-composition. The compositions Six Electroacoustic Studies and Dada 2009 display the use of the software. The formalisation process was derived from a transposition of influences of the early twentieth century avant-garde period, to a contemporary digital studio environment utilising new media and computer technologies for musical expression

(I)MAGESOUND(S): Expanded audiovisual practice

(I)MAGESOUND(S) is a collaborative audiovisual project led by artist Jim Hobbs and composer Andrew Hill. It seeks to bring together the practices of experimental film and electroacoustic music to create live, expanded audiovisual performances. The goals of the project are to combine, share and reflect upon creative practice through the creation of expanded cinema events exploring the materiality of sound and light. To this end, here we describe two works developed as part of this project: Vientos Fuertes by Jim Hobbs and Projections by Andrew Hill

Composition portfolio

This portfolio includes four electronic pieces as well as three works especially devised for dance and theatre. The electronic music compositions Plastiches, Clangor, Showtime! and Ciguri investigate different approaches to the use of space and temporal structures. The works Dance studies Nos. 1 &2 were created as collaborations with choreographers and explore aspects of the relationship between music and contemporary dance. The large-scale dance-theatre work To have done with the judgment ofArtaud explores different aspects of experimental music and contemporary dance and is related to the later works of Antonin Artaud

Instruments for Spatial Sound Control in Real Time Music Performances. A Review

The systematic arrangement of sound in space is widely considered as one important compositional design category of Western art music and acoustic media art in the 20th century. A lot of attention has been paid to the artistic concepts of sound in space and its reproduction through loudspeaker systems. Much less attention has been attracted by live-interactive practices and tools for spatialisation as performance practice. As a contribution to this topic, the current study has conducted an inventory of controllers for the real time spatialisation of sound as part of musical performances, and classified them both along different interface paradigms and according to their scope of spatial control. By means of a literature study, we were able to identify 31 different spatialisation interfaces presented to the public in context of artistic performances or at relevant conferences on the subject. Considering that only a small proportion of these interfaces combines spatialisation and sound production, it seems that in most cases the projection of sound in space is not delegated to a musical performer but regarded as a compositional problem or as a separate performative dimension. With the exception of the mixing desk and its fader board paradigm as used for the performance of acousmatic music with loudspeaker orchestras, all devices are individual design solutions developed for a specific artistic context. We conclude that, if controllers for sound spatialisation were supposed to be perceived as musical instruments in a narrow sense, meeting certain aspects of instrumentality, immediacy, liveness, and learnability, new design strategies would be required

New Possibilities for Electroacoustic Music Performance

Western Australian new music ensemble Decibel has an ongoing research project dedicated to performing music that combines acoustic and electronic instruments. In the process of revitalising pieces that have been considered un-performable due to limitations in technology at the time of composition, or certain technologies becoming obsolete, Decibel has developed a unique approach to new music performance involving electronic and acoustic instruments. This has also involved the reworking of electronic pieces not intended to be performed live, works that have previously proved difficult to perform, and the ‘electroacoustification’ of acoustic works. The ensemble combines old technologies such as reel-toreel tape machines with newer approaches to music making using interactive programming and networked environments. This paper investigates possibilities for the configuration of electronic devices in chamber music with acoustic instrument performers, arguing that through the development and implementation of a series of methodologies for performance, Decibel is able to create a new kind of pure ‘electroacoustic music’ where electronics and acoustics are truly blended on a live concert platform

'The Significance of Techné in Understanding the Art and Practice of Electroacoustic Composition'

The birth of electroacoustic music is associated with an era of creativity which is now firmly embedded in the past. As the years advance so the opportunities for evaluating the pioneering years of the medium become increasingly remote. Few can now claim first-hand experience of working with the technologies that shaped and influenced the evolution of the early repertory, and many commentators are content to see them consigned to the museum. Others are less sure, having become aware of a number of features that appear to have no parallels in the modern all-digital domain. This article is predicated on the proposition that the functional characteristics of the equipment available during the formative years materially influenced the ways in which composers developed their compositional aesthetic. By studying the characteristics of the resulting interactions, important clues emerge as to the true nature of this engagement. Central to this study is the nature of the techné involved in these processes of creativity, and the significance of this is evaluated in the context of establishing a case for further research in this area. Particular attention is paid to the role of the tape recorder in this context, in particular its influence on the development of spatialisation techniques

Interpreting Electroacoustic Audio-visual Music

The basis of this research project stems from reflections upon the process of composition for electroacoustic audio-visual music. These are fixed media works in which sound and image materials are accessed, generated, explored and configured in creation of a musically informed audio-visual expression. Within the process of composition, the composer must decide how to effectively draw relationships between these time based media and their various abstract and mimetic materials. This process usually has no codified laws or structures and results in relationships that are singular to the individual artworks. The composer uses their own experience and intuition in assessing how best to associate sounds and images and they will use their own interpretation of the materials to evaluate the how successful they are in realising their intentions. But what is there to say that the interpretation made by the composer bears any resemblance to interpretations made by audiences? The current research sought to assess any trends or commonalities in how people interpret such works. Utilising a combination of empirical research, composition and scholarly study, the project investigated various theoretical approaches to interpretation and the occurrence of correlation between compositional intention and audience interpretation. Models from different theoretical disciplines were combined in order to build up a picture of the processes involved in making interpretations, and to aid in the rationalisation of empirical data. The application of three methodological approaches allowed for the topic to be considered from a diversity of perspectives, and for triangulation to take place in confirmation of the research outcomes. The way in which individuals build up interpretations from non-codified abstract and mimetic materials also provided a suitable case study for the critique and assessment of various theoretical approaches to interpretation. The project challenges structuralist approaches to interpretation, drawing together theoretical materials and empirical research findings in support of a post-structrualist model of interpretation that demonstrates the absolutely vital role played by context – the framing of the artwork in the consciousness of the individual audience member