10+ sound collages in 2 hours
An in-class exploration in which you will create a series of “soundscapes” or
“sonic pictures” that operate within some specific parameters.
Goals:
- To consider the importance of context by combining a variety of sounds.
- To explore contrast and harmony through sound.
- To explore some of the principles from your other courses in the context of sound.
- To create your own short album of soundscapes and upload them as a set in Soundcloud.
Materials tools and methods
- The source material for this project comes from the collected sounds in the Soundcloud Listening Lab Group
- You may use any multi-track editor that you have access to such as Audacity or Garage Band.
- You should utilize trimming tools, volume tools, fade in and out tools to explore sound dynamics in your pieces.
Details about some tools can be found below.
Is the sound collage seamless and flowing with subtle interjections of sound or is it full of unexpected and surprising bursts of sound?
The way that you edit it will impact the way that we hear it. - You may only use the sounds recorded in NYC and Atlanta.
- You may not add any additional effects or processing to the sounds (like echo or reverb)
- Some important tools in Audacity
- Selection, Envelope and Move tools
in the bar at the top of the editing window.
Also, don’t forget the zoom tool so you can get in close and make fine edits.
- Selection, Envelope and Move tools
-
- Edit Menu
Lots of important commands here including:
Cut, Split, Trim, split delete, join, silence audio, etc. - Tracks Menu
Add new audio track (mono), Add new Stereo Track
If you want to paste some sound from another file into a new track, you’ll need to make a track first! - Effects Menu
There are a few tools here you can use for this project.
Fade In. select the beginning of a sound. It will create a gradual fade in.
Fade out. select the end of a sound. It will create a gradual fade out.
Normalize. this will raise the volume of a quiet track. Careful, it also amplifies unwanted noise!
- Edit Menu
Here are the Sound Collages that you will create
1. NYC The documentary.
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – documentary)
Take one of the interviews. Try to combine it with sounds that “illustrate” the thing that the person is talking about.
Don’t have the right sound? Experiment with others to understand the way that it works. Choose the best one.
Consider the following: is the mix of sounds such that you can understand the speaker? Is the sound continuous? Does it appear at a specific moment? Does it add atmosphere or tension?
2. NYC The manufactured soundscape
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – manufactured)
Create a believable NYC sound scape by combining 2 or more NYC sounds.
What kind of environment are you creating?
3. NYC The disjunctive soundscape (disjunction = a separation, a condition of opposing parts. It is the opposite of united)
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – disjunction)
Create an NYC soundscape by combining 2 or more contradictory sounds. What kind of environment are you creating?
An extreme example: the sound inside a church combined with the sounds from a chicken coop.
4. ATL+NYC #1: Manufactured Soundscape
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – atlanta 1)
Create a believable soundscape by combining 2 or more sounds from NYC and Atlanta.
Bring these two worlds together.
An extreme example: the sound inside a church combined with the sounds from a chicken coop.
5. ATL+NYC #2: disjunctive Soundscape
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – atlanta 2)
Create a disjunctive soundscape that contrasts these two locations.
6. Urban rhythm study
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – rhythm)
7. Texture study
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – texture)
Create a soundscape that explores the qualities of the sounds uploaded (timbre).
Here are some of the ones that you listed in our class vocabulary:
aggressive
banging
beeping
bombastic
booming
clicking
drone
howling
hushed
jangling
metallic
mumbling
rattling
roaring
screeching
sharp
smooth
spitting
squealing
sweeping
thumping
whining
whooshing
8. Design vocabulary study 1
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – vocab 1)
Create a soundscape that sonically explores one or two of these design vocabulary or gestalt principles .
In your soundcloud description, include the terms you were exploring.
- number/frequency/density
- sequence or alternation
- focal point, dominance
- similarity
- proximity
- figure/ground (can you play with this sonically?)
Here’s Susan Stillman’s vocabulary presentation
Here’s Susan Stillman’s gestalt presentation
9. Design vocabulary study 2
Length 30 seconds (file name: New York – your name – vocab 2)
Create a soundscape that sonically explores one or two of these design vocabulary or gestalt principles (use ones you didn’t explore in your last study!).
In your soundcloud description, include the terms you were exploring.
- number/frequency/density
- sequence
- alternation
- focal point, dominance
- similarity
– proximity
– figure/ground (can you play with this sonically?)
10. Your own soundscape
Length 1 minute (file name: New York – your name – mine)
Create whatever you would like from the files.
Consider the techniques you have expolored so far.
Post your final sound collages to Soundcloud
Once they are uploaded, add them to the set with your name.
A set is like a little playlist.
You’ll find the add to set button at the top of each track.
