8th Post - New Version = New Ideas

This week I tested a new version of the piece which i developed after the previous test (see last post). This version is much more rhythmic and contains a kick drum and hi-hats that provide a steady pulse for the more abstract found sounds and melodic parts. It also had 12 different sine waves which built up and then became randomised. For this test i bounced 12 separate versions for 12 machines, each of which had unique sounds and and some shared sounds. I wasn't able to upload them all to Soundcloud in time so it was necessary to import the bounces onto the computers from a memory stick. This was very labour intensive and there were only 5 people at the tutorial so some people had to start 3 computers. As a result some machines were significantly later than others. However, the overall effect was still musical and interesting. 

The found sound rhythms again worked well, these sounds were were all individually rooted to a different machine as were the sine wave tones. This gave a feeling of movement around the space, as the computers are arranged around the edge of the room which is a large rectangle. The kick drum and hi-hat sounds were each on an individual machine. This meant that there was no movement in these sounds and that was a criticism from some of my peers. I also felt that if i pursue this direction then i would try and make those sounds move too. 

The next step for the development of this piece is to look into using Max MSP in order to network the computers. This will allow me to have elements of control such as volume, mute, and possibly speed of playback from a central computer. It would also allow me to build a patch that i could install on each computer which would hopefully make performing the piece easier. Another idea I am keen to introduce to the piece is having a selection of material that audience members would be free to start and stop as they see fit. This idea is based on the Terry Riley composition "In C" and the internet collaborative project "in B flat" which was conceived by Darren Soloman (see link below). This material would work on the same principle as both of these works in that it would be in the same key and would work in what ever combination it was triggered.

http://www.inbflat.net/

The trial version of the new piece is available below.