For the initial stage of my piece, I recorded myself moving to the last track I used for my performance in Vienna. I created a circle with eight markers to represent the speakers in the octophonic ring. Additionally, I set up a strobe light to immerse myself further in the space and get closer to the mindset and atmosphere in which I usually perform. I tend to be quite disassociated while performing and moving to music; it feels very subconscious. However, I have recognized consistent patterns that I am sure will inform the composition of my piece. Generally, due to exhaustion, I lose control of my limbs, and movement becomes more disorderly as I keep dancing. My body begins to lose a sense of unified movement as the adrenaline spikes, and I become more tired. I also tend to move to the floor and lie down, grind, and use slow, more comprehensive movements with my upper body when I hit peak levels of exhaustion and, notably, when my music has moments with really wide pads and drawn-out bass notes. These are all elements that I am sure will inform the writing process, and abstracting these physical and emotional states is an element to consider with the sound design I use in this piece. I will continue to examine this video and transcribe and generalize the patterns of movement displayed to write the piece as choreography and directionally in the context of spatial audio. The thing I desperately wish to avoid is for it to feel static and for the spacial context to feel forced; it is essential I create a presence within the octophonic ring that moves dynamically, similar to my own movement.
Month: November 2024
Challenges
My main challenges with creating this audio paper are sonic considerations and pacing. How do I use the opportunities the audio paper format provides to service the themes I am discussing? While I have found it helpful to be able to discuss sound design techniques and music alongside actually playing them when talking about literary references, I have found it challenging to implement them satisfyingly without simply reciting them through voice. However, I feel that this does not service the format, as it could easily be made into a written paper. One method I have found was using an AI voice modulated with fx as a narrator, as being able to process and modulate the narrator’s voice can be used to highlight the sound design techniques and philosophies being discussed more directly. However, I would like to find more methods of using the strengths of the format as to avoid directly transcribing an audio paper into written form.