Belfast Sound Map / Sound Walk 100413

Belfast Sound Map

The Belfast Sound Map is an open resource that aims at engaging local communities in capturing everyday sound and hence characterise the soundscape of the city. We encourage not only the submission of sound recordings, but also other forms of experiencing and registering sound, such as text or image. The overall design of this platform facilitates this multiplicity of approaches, while also allowing participants to create their own projects. These are presented as separate, individual layers of recordings within the map.

The user/listener is also invited to explore the map in various ways, including an autoplay mode which creates a sequence composed of different recordings.

The map serves as a platform for a series of local workshops, in which we will share with the participants the concepts behind this work, exploring the rich relationship between sound, place and everyday life.

The Belfast Sound Map was designed by Pedro Rebelo, Rui Chaves, Matilde Meireles and Aoghus McEvoy in collaboration with Max Stein and is maintained by the Sonic Arts Research Centre, Queen's University Belfast. The Belfast Sound Map was first exhibited at the Metropolitan Art Centre (MAC) in 2012 in the context of the Sounds of the City project.

Made possible with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Place NI hosted a workshop about the project. Participants were given recording equipment and taken on a walk around the centre of Belfast to listen and collect recordings. Afterwards everyone talked about the experience and wrote some extracts which were uploaded to the map.

Sonic Acts 2012

Sonic Acts 2012
Pauline Oliveros.
Keith Fullerton Whitman.
Workshops.
Concerts.
Installations.
Conference.
Film.
New music.
I only heard of this by joining the STEIM mailing list.
Instrument building workshops are held there,
among many un-typical initiatives.
Sold.

VBS TV - Curtis Roads

Here is a programme on Curtis Roads (inventor of granular synthesis).


There is a free smartphone app called "Curtis Lite" - it's fun.

Interactive Media & Environment Master Class

Next week I'm going to a 'Interactive Media & Environment Master Class' in Dublin. The promo bumpf reads well, an almost perfect day out for me! Cut 'n' paste follows:

When: Wednesday 16th of March
Where: Hosted by Moxie Studio
Lead by: Benjamin Gaulon
Bring your own laptop (Mac, Pc or Linux)

During this Master class participants will become familiar with basic hardware and software design while at the same time gaining hands-on experience making interactive art projects, digital art performances, installations, interactive events using moving images and sound.

The workshop covers the basis of Physical Computing[1] using Arduino[2] and Pure Data[3]. Participants will be able to control sound and visuals in Pure Data using a variety of Sensors (distance sensor, light sensor, temperature sensor, potentiometer, etc..). Each participant will have use of a starter kit (Arduino, bread boards, basic tools and sensors) for the day.

This initial class can be follow by groups or individual follow-up sessions to help participants complete a personal project or expand their knowledge in specific areas.

This Master Class is open to participants of different backgrounds and no programming or electronic experience is required.

It looks pretty fabulous, doesn't it? I am looking forward to it a lot and hope that it'll inspire and inform new directions for future projects and directions to spend my energy. After talking to many FLOSS / Arduino enthusiasts it's about time I got around to learning about this.

I think it's time to read that little book that's been neglected on my shelf for a few months...

Fly Shooting

I did some recording for a very short film. Here's an animation made of photos taken during the shoot (I used 'multi-burst' to capture photos. A range of mics for the sound)

Fly Shooting from dodgy stereo on Vimeo.

Mikal Hameed

Mikal Hameed
His creations caught my eye whilst skipping through other blogs. I can't say I love all his work, (as there are practicality issues that bug me) but his choice of materials gets the thumbs up.

Field Recording - Notes From A Pro

For several years I have been on the Microsound mailing list (thanks to Christopher @ Fallt for letting me know about it). Usually reading, but occassionally submitting posts and links.

One of the people who posts regularly, which I look forward to reading, is Kim Cascone (author of the must read ((IMO)) "The Aesthetics Of Failure"). Recently he posted up a link to an interesting article ("The Grain of the Auditory Field") he penned on the subject of field recording and the problems associated with it.

For any reader unfamiliar with field recording, it is basicly recording what you hear (musicians with instruments or environmental sounds). Anywhere. You decide you want it, and record it as well as possible with whatever equipment you have close to hand. It is possible to spend thousands on fancy digital machines or just use a cassette recorder. As with all art; the rules aren't set in stone (as they might be: in mathematics, by contrast).

Some musicians have used these clips of found/everyday/event/location sounds as ambient bookends for their pieces, but it's possible to enjoy them on their own: simply by making choices about how they are edited/processed before playback, and how/where/when/to whom they are played back.

Kim has done a rather good job at putting some issues into words and making them as fun to read as poetry written by a smitten technician. One for geeks only?

If you've followed some of those links and want to do a little bit of listening to some people doing interesting things with field recordings you might click on the following:
Jez-Riley-French
Quiet American
Lomax
Alan Lomax
Audiyou
Archive

Should you desire to indulge in some further reading on the topic you may find the following will deliver:
Gruenrekorder (magazine dedicated to the subject)
Field Recording UK (dedicated site)
Frieze (book review)
MAC (POV)

Beautiful Listening Experiences I Haven't Had. Yet.

Every so often I come across interesting projects when researching the artists records I am trying to review. Sometimes they are accompanied by media in the form of pictures, video and/or audio clips. Little digital samples to allow a taste: tease.

Some things I find give some form of useful information, and leave me dying to know more. An example here: Audiopint. This looks like it has a world of potential.

Another link that was a joy to find was 'Invent Music'. It took a few extra clicks for me to find the media I wanted. This made me want to have one of my own. How much fun would it be?

Lots.



EDIT:
Photos from Soul Ambition - 'Kick Up The Arts' @ Blick


Heavy Trash @ The King's Head

More Ecker.

A very interesting instrument on the street the other day. A cross between a gramophone and a violin. If only I had thought about recording the rather unique tone it had. Pretty on the ears and eyes.