Abstract

The following document was written to explore a conceptual component behind this project. Included is research, project planning, overview and abstract thought.

The Soundscape

The technical aspects involved with creating the composition.

The Space

The space in which the interactive exhibition will be held.

Finale

A video documenting the operation of the live exhibit, with interviews from the creator explaining technical and conceptual aspects of the project.

Reflection

What Did I Do?

This project was a great leap into unfamiliar territory for me. Deciding to use Ableton Live to complete. my soundscape meant using a software that I wasn't expert at. I know how to use Ableton, but am nowhere near as proficient than Pro Tools, so I'm happy I pushed myself to use this DAW. At the end of last trimester, I felt that my major project lacked conceptual depth and artistic thinking, instead it was more focused technical practices and engineering skills. This time I wanted to really focus on creating a project that maybe didn't require lots of technical and logistical work (hiring band, equipment, huge studio time etc), but instead required more though, planning and research around a concept I wanted to explore. Thats why I created an academic style document to show my abstract though and context for my project decision. I think I achieved this for this submission, and although things didn't always go to plan, I succeeded in creating a project that really demonstrates conceptualised thought.

I am also really proud of having and implementing a backup plan in case of plan one failure. Because this project required purchasing equipment in the mail, I had a feeling that during these COVID times I could be dealing with posting issues and time delays. I ended up being proven right, and I'm happy to have a second plan that I feel is just as strong as the first. This is a useful strategy to learn going forward, because things in the industry won't always go my way, and when I work with clients I will be forced to consider secondary options and have backup plans in case things go wrong in the future.

It's also worth noting that I wanted to create an artistic and conceptual project that will help propel me into a potential future area of study. I am moving to Berlin next April, and have really wanted to study a Master of Arts degree. I think this project will help demonstrate in my application that along with technical skills I have learnt in audio and sound I also have a body of work to show that I am not afraid to implement bigger projects that require process, thought and conceptual planning. This is the kind of project that I want to expand on, taking it outside of SAE and build it into something bigger.

What Could I Have Done Better?

Time! I'm not sure how or why but this trimester seemed so much more intense than previous trimesters gone by. The workload really got to me, and a result I felt stretched for time when doing this project among others. Pushing the personal boundaries meant this project took lot of thinking and planning, and maybe things didn't start to get running until later in the trimester when the pressure piles on. But I though I handled it okay, just next time I would identify and learn that these heavy conceptual projects require more hours than it seems from outside perspective, meaning I would try and start earlier and really nail strategic goals quicker.

Research into material for successful metronome synchronisation proved more difficult than I thought. The foam core board that eventually crippled my original plan proved difficult to find and identify as the best material for a metronome base. I had assumed that the metronomes would synchronise easier, however the experiment proved more difficult than I had planned. So I lost time and patience on this, and a good reminder to really research heavy in the beginning, looking at inspirational experiments and identifying materials they use. That way I would have a stronger chance of receiving these material earlier on and potentially conducting a successful original experiment.

How Did I Respond To Feedback?

Another huge area of improvement for this project was engaging with multiple lecturers and trying to extract alternative sources of expertise, feedback and information for the successful completion of this submission. I communicated with Kevin, Michael, Phillipe and Jan on this project, asking for expertise an options to complete a complicated signal flow and composition for the soundscape. It was interesting because I received different feedback and options from each lecturer, so I was given many paths for my project to go down, and having all these options helped me to make a stronger choice. My ongoing communication with lecturers has been an area I wanted to work on, often choosing to just try and figure everything out on my own or use the internet for information. But I relished building a stronger report with experts within SAE, who know me and are more than willing to assist.

Each lecturer along the way gave me great feedback, all saying that my project was a fantastic idea, which gave me the motivation to stay within the subject and push to complete what needed to be done.

Some really good feedback I received was from Philippe regarding the academic style paper I decided to write for this project. He reminded me to steer away from making claims about human behaviour that I was not educated to make. Instead he said focus my writing on aspects of audio, and draw on research I had made to really stress that whatever claims I make in the paper and from a more conceptual background, that is to ask more questions than provide answers.

A productive zoom meeting with Kev provided me with some great tools using stock Ableton plugins to achieve my soundscape goals, without spending money on more software or plugins. Kev went above and beyond for me on this one, sending me demonstration videos of different tools I could use, so for that I am extremely grateful.