Sound Design
Forgotten Children, 2020
Regarding the refugee crisis in Syria, we can only see through a lens that is tunnelled by news outlets.
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Technical details:
This piece was created through doepfer a-100 modulation, Ableton Live modulation and sound generation, and FX samples taken from copyright free content. This piece can be played in 5 mono channel set ups, or reduced to a stereo reduction.
Common Interference, 2020
Conformed patterns can be manipulated through the media’s focus, and how it can become a crowded place in the mind. Perhaps this is but a silent interference that slowly builds separation in the modern society. Perhaps what keeps us alive is our hearts pulsing, but what keeps us human is communication and social interaction. The irony is that something so inhuman like phones and media outlets are the tools that can unite and connect each other at the edges of our fingers; equally this tool is used for the inhumane spreading of toxic information.
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Technical information:
“Common Interference” can be performed on a 5 mono channel set up or reduced to a two channel stereo performance. The piece was created with the Doepfer A-100, recorded exterior audio samples, recorded indoor studio samples, and placed into two sound editing programs with audio-units adjusted accordingly. The only samples used in this piece are those derived from the news media, and have been obtained from copyright free source material.
Synapse, 2019
Program Note:
When brain cells need to pass messages, they do it without touching, across a space called a “synapse.” This piece, “Synapse” is a journey through Kayla Shears’ mind as a highly sensitive individual on the Autism spectrum. This could be seen as a form of “study,” or grounding effort to achieve a sense of understanding for how her brain connects what she comes to see and know in every day life. The piece was inspired by a scientific article expressing the research found from doctors and researchers at Columbia University. It examined the synapses in the brains of children with autism. They discovered that during childhood, children with autism do not undergo the regular synaptic “pruning,” therefore resulting in having an excess of synapses and synaptic responses.
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The piece is subtly separated into 3 movements:
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The first represents “Duality”: A drift between low distortion and high pitched crystalline features that almost feed off each other. It describes a more gentle recognition, subsiding with interference or a light hum of processing.
The second represents “Movement”: A more cinematic approach to immerse the listener into a somewhat busy and chaotic environment replicating an "overload." It follows through with strong and impactful transitions with dense moments of activity, followed by lush moving atmospheres.
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The third represents “Texture”: This part will explore mid-range textures that will include the manipulation of foley samples, voice recordings, and VST generated waves to create an audibly rich space. It represents inner sensitivity and sharp attention to detail to the outer world.
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Technical details:
This piece was composed in 5 mono channels, in 24/96khz. All recordings and samples made for this piece were rendered at 96khz. 95% of the material used in this piece was generated using: Digital waveform synthesis, VSTS in Ableton Live, samples recorded from a saxophone and piano, Doepfer A-100 material, recordings and soundscapes from a Zoom H5 and Rhode NT2 microphone. 5% is derived from purchased copy-right free sample pack material which have been modulated and re-worked in Amadeus and other audio unit software. The original piece is to be played in a multi-channel set-up to create a highly immersive environment.
A stereo 24/48khz reduction has been made.
Finding Home, 2020
“Finding Home” examines Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and sits within human relations to their inner and outer world. It also questions the aspect of time, which is a concept created by humans in order to understand or manage their reality, which is subjective dependent on the person and their location and relation to the world or dependent on what is in their space. By taking the listener through 3 movements, it asks them to observe their inner world and push onwards to a realm beyond their ordinary perceptions. This 8 channel immersive piece utilizes spatialization and many layers of synthesized textures, recorded, and gestural sounds to create a wide, expansive, and whelming sensory experience.
