Friday, May 7, 2010

P as in Pneumonia

P as in Pneumonia by grhufnagl

Rundown


• Items recorded: Electric Trimmer, Metal Canister, Box of Dice, Plastic Vitamin Bottle, Duffle Bag, Salad Spinner

• 232 Different Unprocessed Sound Files (mono and stereo versions), categorized by object type and length (short < 1 sec; medium 1-5 sec; long > 5 sec)

Design goals

• Continued focus on creating convincing background material with long-term development through multi-timbral “walls”

• Move away from metrically-defined ideas to more gelatinous, timbrally-defined constructions

• Greater emphasis on masking the original sound source through three approaches; greater number of layers
 in multi-component sound design with single, articulated events; focusing on longer-lasting gestures that dictate the need for general sound types rather than starting with specific sound types; muti-processed sounds that behave in ways that are far different from their original source

Formal Approach

• Three sections, each defined by timbral and spatial differences as well the behavior of the activity (e.g. development through repetition vs. development through differences in time)

• In terms of space, Section A focuses on the relationship between midground and foreground through trading off material; Section B builds on this relationship with a consistent presence of both; Section C is defined in the beginning by a lone background presence and gradually building in the other variations of space

• The shape of each section was established through creating multiple layers of manipulated sound and then sculpted via EQ, reverb, automated volume, etc.