Coming to a Botanical Garden near you... immersive quadrophonic sound and light installation.
WEEK 1
Balance: a recurring theme for me recently, and a foundational concept from which I think the whole world could benefit. Building upon field recordings with synthesis techniques, I endeavour to take the participant on a 20 minute sonic voyage exploring this theme of balance. I hope to achieve this by juxtaposing organic sounds (representing nature) with structured metallic sounds (humans), taking the listener on a journey from the big bang to a proposed future; one where humankind has found equilibrium with nature.
Brisbane City Council has been contacted, beginning the conversation to host the experience in the City Botanic Gardens, at the below location:
The final file will be mixed down to four point one channels, and will be presented with an accompanying visual display, potentially including:
Strobe lights in the trees
Strip lights around the edges of the proposed structure
Water mist screen with projection
Glow-in-the-dark smoke bubbles
Audio Timeline
I have arranged to meet with someone to discuss visual accompaniments in two weeks, once I have a bit more direction with the arrangement.
WEEK 2
Meeting with Guy: advised me that passive speakers might be the best option for this circumstance, considering the space. Look up DMX boards. Film it.
Further discussions with Brisbane City Council will help to clarify speaker capabilities: I began the application process through their website this week, so I should find out more information about power, noise restrictions, capacity and COVID plans once that has been completed.
I have begun my (re)search for a DMX controller to begin experimenting with triggered lighting through Ableton using MIDI.
I have reached out to a few capable individuals to begin planning a video recording of the final project.
I also sourced two extra speakers so that I can arrange them in my house to begin playing with the quadraphonic element of the project.
Field recordings from this week were not so successful: I have realised how much unwanted noise there is in the Botanic Gardens. Ironically mostly human; planes, traffic rumble, construction, which has given me the idea to use this to prove my point that most of our natural audioscape is perpetually intruded upon by human noise. I'm thinking of really trying to draw these features of the field recording out, perhaps overlaying it with clearer sourced samples, or some clever sound design. However, thus far it has been quite windy in the park (when not raining) and I need a wind sock and some clear weather before I can capture uninterrupted audio of a decent length.
On the upside, all this rain has given me a lot of studio time to get a little ahead on the audio production side of the project. Here's a few examples:
The first was a little euphoric jam I created whilst sitting in the Botanic Gardens, featuring heavily processed vocal air and an expanding sub-line, it seemed to suit a peak moment in the space.
The second I tried to represent the mundaneness of civilisation, the monotony of society, through simplified rhythms and unaesthetic noises. The incorporation of synthesised sounds representing machinery and construction stands to reinforce my noise pollution point.
The third was a synth patch I was stoked with, featuring layers and layers of oscillating sounds creating a unique organic texture. I foresee this being particularly fun echo'd around a quadrophonic setup.
WEEK 3
Unfortunately my visual meeting has been postponed until next week, but hopefully there will be a bit of a song sketch track created by then. Finding it really difficult to find good samples of quotes by people like Einstein to include (search will continue).
This week I have spent time constructing the bookends for the arrangement. I created an ethereal introduction for the audio component which I am reasonably happy with, pending rearrangement for time purposes. Then, in an attempt to create a closing track, I went two different directions, resulting in two other climatic pieces of music...
I am thinking at this stage to potentially include a brochure for participants, with 5 (or however many distinct sections there are within the presentation) separate images, each one representing a different phase of existence as we currently understand it (and the final a proposition). For eg:
Big Bang: galaxy
Life on Earth: green earth
Introductions of Humankind: homosapiens
Destruction from Humans: greyscale modern civilisation
Equilibrium of humankind and nature: think green civilisation in a cyborg reality
...and then using these as a cornerstone from which to create, before finally linking them together in a cohesive whole journey.
I am also contemplating including some words, phrases, or even a parable, spoken by myself for copyright reasons, to provide more context if quotes continue to be problematic. Potentially could sound design the voice to be cyborg-esque, returning the project to its theme of balance.
WEEK 4
I spent many hours in the botanical gardens this week, throughout various times of day, trying to capture both atmospheric and location-specific sounds to overlay my current composition with. I'm hoping to really destroy the audio of a duck sample I captured, perhaps beginning as a duck sound and quickly disintegrating into a post-digital sound (one almost unrecognisable from the original sample).
Furthermore I began compiling all of my bounces into one session, to get an idea of the structure. I have discovered that my sessions are generally running relatively CPU heavy, having not wanted to commit much audio in case it needs to be altered in the compilation phase. As a result, combining all components (different sessions) into one has been rather difficult and time consuming. I have had to return to sessions many times to make small changes such that the two "sections" will overlay nicely. I also had to teach myself some new skills to begin playing with different techniques of blending these together. Automating a tempo change on the master channel presented many problems, which required me to better understand processes like Ableton's warping feature and how a track's individual BPM will be accordingly affected.
Attention needs to be paid to linking the sections still, and as yet they are not properly mixed (just over-compressed with a limiter), but here is a project update as it currently stands:
I have discussed my project with proposed visual projection consultant, Jack, who is now taking some time to brainstorm and plan, before getting back to me on his contribution later this week. I have also attended a local surround sound experience, run by Superordinary, where I not only got to experience some surround sound art, but managed to connect with a couple of artists and the organisers. I was grateful to learn some tips and tricks from the artists, and excitingly discussed the prospect of having my project included in a forthcoming event once complete.
Finally I have begun researching some of the software currently available, which essentially enables me to mix into a "3D space" creating an ambisonic type experience in stereo headphones, but then allows me to bounce the file into whatever speaker arrangement I encode into it. This would enable me to provide a similar experience in headphones (particularly when combined with the final video) for anyone who is unable to attend the event, but might also provide interesting results once bounced for the project; perhaps mostly I just enjoy the concept of working with innovative technology. Most of it can be quite costly, however in the meantime I have been familiarising myself with Envelop 4 Live (E4L), which is a collection of free, open-source immersive audio production tools.
WEEK 5
This week felt like a struggle: my extended life became draining, all my creations seemed lifeless, and playing with quotes or words sounded corny. So I tried a technique where I would recall the moments of the compositions I was happy with and take note of my environment, mood, lifestyle, etc. I realised a few valuable lessons:
Take breaks: This has been undeniably helpful throughout this project so far. Allowing my ears to rejuvenate and my mind to wander brings with it creative results, and the ability to work more productively for longer.
Be comfortable in your space: I recently lost my sacred workspace and trying to work from anywhere else seems distracting. This has led to frustration, procrastination, and ultimately a lack of creativity and consequently progress. I learned that I really need to look towards creating my own comfortable space/studio for optimum results in the future.
Healthy lifestyle for a healthy headspace: I discovered often after yoga or meditation in the morning I would create peaceful music, when at night I draw from a more ominous side. The state my headspace is in often corresponds to the work output. These recent frustrations in my life have also led me to other avenues to escape, which I discovered has its own cascading effect. Working with a hangover certainly didn't provide as much useful material, and there was absolutely no overtime that day. I guess that leads me to my final confirmation of...
Balance: Everything in moderation I hear they say; well I propose that to include moderation itself. Some of my best work has come from healthy habits, some of my best work has come at the end of a 14hour session on a computer, running on no sleep and UberEats, but its maintaining the balance that seems to work best for my work. Perhaps this week was a little out of balance, and I certainly noticed it in my creations.
Whilst doing this recall I also realised that a lot of this project's imagery in my mind, subconsciously until now, was based around a childhood favourite movie Fern Gully. I found an old copy and watched it for inspiration. The word balance occurred twice, along with a string of other material that has helped provide some direction for quotes. I'm now wondering about sampling some sections of the film, taking into consideration copyright issues. Perhaps I could rerecord some of the phrases to avoid any issues.
Wanting to capture more forest/bush soundscapes, rain ongoing.
WEEK 6
Raaaiiiin! It won't stop. Starting to stress about capturing enough field recordings. Adding to problems this week my VFX man has been consumed by external work and can't find time for this project anymore. I had sacred space this week for only two days, so distractions are ongoing. Everything I create sucks, I suck. How am I going to do this?
I'm sure its just that point in the creative process, and I'll look back on this with good humour, but I feel like I can't get out of this slump for all my good intentions. I'm feeling a bit lost for direction, I have rearranged the last three songs in every possible combination and nothing seems to flow into a final song. I feel like I can't create anything new to fill the proposed void. I can't link the pieces together... So I created a mind map and a musical flow chart to assist with clearing the noise out of my head. I'm really liking these techniques that I've been told about since forever, yet ignored until now. They help me greatly to clear my head or find a new perspective, and will be invaluable for future endeavours.
Since I felt discordant with audio, and I needed to find solutions for a visual component, I began doing a lot of research into Resolume. After watching hours of tutorials and a day beginning to understand the software, I learned that I wouldn't be able to create anything without a Resolume watermark unless I paid for it. Consequently, I went on a deep dive for visual software on the interwebs, and with free use for up to 1080p I settled on TOUCHDESIGNER. Once again I began researching and getting to know the software.
This week my computer began to get very close to full, and I noticed it wasn't running as efficiently. I did what any sane person would do and began backing up, culling, and transferring to external hard-drives. I tidied up some misplaced folders, and then suddenly the directory within Ableton had a spasm. In the near future when I have the patience I will have to go through each session and relocate a lot of files. File management is such an important part of productive workflow, and I really need to take extra care when using new sounds, to first place them into the correct "sound directory". This would prevent any unnecessary file movement once the session is created, and ultimately, this situation from recurring.
Finally I have begun reaching out to a graphic designer to discuss logos, posters, and banners. I'm thinking at this stage something to do with a treeline, perhaps even the image at the top of this page. I like the idea of it being nighttime, perhaps with stars. I also like the idea of highlighting certain leaves or outlines with fluorescent light (insinuating the glowing bubbles). I'm also having a mini-crisis whether I title the project balance, or plant a seed. It seems to be focussed much more on the environment than say capitalism, or war. This idea brings with it the added benefit of the double entendre: plant a seed could be referring to the physical act or a mental one.
WEEK 8
Whilst playing with integrating the Fern Gully speech, I rambled in my head a little until I snapped to reality and this rolled out of me:
"I want you to treat this sacred space as you should everywhere, and everyone. Balance is an essential concept, yet it can hold no objective value. It lives in the grey area. Where we all live. I want you to decide for yourself how to experience this; what to pay attention to, whether you move or lie or dance or sway. I think this should be the way we interact always. Between us we will naturally find balance, but a true balance, not a directed one... but, if we must direct, can it not be towards a better place? It seems clear that our Earth is not currently in balance with humans. We need less barriers, and more people working collectively towards the better integration of humankind with our surroundings. It all starts with a seed, a little earworm, an idea that grows until its rooted in the future. Plant a seed. There's a new way of human being. Plant that seed, then help it grow. Help us find balance."
I had another fantastic week (read sarcastically), one of my monitors is popping through the tweeter, so I've had to send that back to be repaired. In addition to the listening difficulties, amazingly my headphone speaker is also popping on the same side, making mixing extremely difficult. I got to listen to my creation with a sub for the first time though, and it definitely needs some tidying up in the low end. Unfortunately I wasn't able to return to the location with a sub because I had to isolate for two days, followed by another three days of lockdown. In the meantime I began integrating some field recordings and playing with the words in certain locations.
In positive news, I used the downtime, and assumption that everybody would be on their devices, to source two graphic designers, one for free and one for a small fee. I also had to reach out to new avenues for a filmographer, to no avail. I have one person in mind perfect for the job but he is away until June. Searching, searching..
I also began thinking about surfaces for the projection. It seems through my research that an excessive amount of water is required for an appropriate screen, so my thoughts turned to fog, or particularly smoke from dry ice. Since it is heavier than air it will fall, and I think it would be incredible to combine projections with its laminar flow. At this stage my design is something like this:
Where the image on the right is a cross-sectional side view. The question marks at the top are for an idea I had to place light fans across the top to ensure the directional flow of the air / screen. The question marks on the right represent another idea I had to include a piece of perspex for the fog to fall down. At an ever slight angle, it would help to control the laminar flow, I'm interested to see whether such a surface will reduce or encourage turbulence. There is also the possibility of enclosing the fog within two perspex sheets, encasing it for maximum control, particularly for an outdoor setting; however, I do foresee impacts with light reflection/refraction on the image's clarity.
WEEK 9
My VFX guy is back in! Jack finally heard my last bounce and really wanted to work with the idea. Which really helps because I'm now falling a little behind my original schedule, so I decided to update my timeline:
[INSERT IMAGE]
Finalising and mixing was the new aim for the week, and I learned lots about my composition process that could be improved in future to save time on mixing, and make better sounding sound. For example, I ended up needing to add more high-end in than I expected to most tracks along the way. To emphasise little moments along the way, automate lots, play with tails and frequency-matching sections with dynamic EQ's were some great techniques I discovered I could use to bring my music to life. I was fascinated at the different results I could obtain from just adding a delicate amount of reverb and saturation to the lighting strikes; adding "boom" to some and "crackle" to others.
I learned that this process really shouldn't be rushed; perhaps just not yet for me. Mixing, particularly a difficult long piece where multiple overlapping sections are together, seems to me as less of a process, and more of a massage back and forth. To bring it to life it takes a lot of listening and adjusting. Maybe with time, it will become more obvious. Perhaps also, working from a treated studio space would be easier, rather than crackly headphones on Brunswick St. Although the recent addition of a 5.1 Logitech setup from Gumtree was a welcomed change. With a quick stop to Jaycar for an A/D converter I was able to check to levels of my bass/sub and boy were they loud. With a lot of low frequency noise pollution around my house, and an ambition to make it a full-frequency spectrum production, I obviously compensated too much.
"Make it at night, mix it during the day" - Tim Allison, 2021
I have definitely noticed that I am more creative at night, and more reserved/logical during the day. As such, I noticed that when I mix at night, I tend to ride a lot of faders (by mapping them to some midi hardware I have), introducing spirit to the production, but sometimes overdoing it. Useful moving forwards to take note whether it needs tightening or brightening, so that I can use this difference to my advantage and plan my day around that, particularly for the self-employed situation I'm aiming towards.
Whilst it's not yet all the way there, it is coming together somewhat: ironically I think I still need to find balance, a few moments stand out too much and may be overwhelming in a surround situation. But I'm trying to adhere to my schedule this week, so I decided it was time to bounce and get to work on my screen testing.
Initially I went to Bunnings for two differing diameters of PVC pipe, which I glued caps on and cut in half to act as the "bath" for the dry ice to sit. I boiled the kettle for optimum results and poured it into the half-pipe of dry ice. Initially there was quite a bit of smoke coming out, though it was thinner or "wispier" than I imagined, and outside it got swept away significantly more than I anticipated by any sort of remote breeze. Some quick research suggested to me that the addition of glycerol to the boiling water would not only create a thicker cloud, but also raise the boiling point of the water for extra benefit.
Jack sent me over a snippet of what he'd been working on to test through a projector I had acquired. Unfortunately I couldn't test it on the screen, due to outside weather conditions, but I did put it in a loop, aim it at my parents shed, crank the surround speakers and sub, and set up a little test run in an outside quadrophonic situation.
The next morning I decided to use the remainder of the dry ice a different way. I put all that was left in a bucket, loosely sealed within another bucket for safety reasons, with a piece of flexible pipe coming out the top. As the pressure increases from the sublimation of the dry ice, I hoped it would create a more directed and consistent flow. I also attached the other end of the flexible pipe to a piece of sealed PVC pipe with a slit out of the middle to produce a "screen". It worked much better:
WEEK 10
I began my search for lights and DMX boards this week on Gumtree and the like. Pay day next week will go into some gear for this presentation, so I'm on the hunt for a strobe light and some coloured lights to drop beneath the trees on triggers, as well as a smoke and bubble machine.
A meeting with Jack has me understanding that I have to go through each part of my project and extract the pieces I want to be affected individually, with consideration given to the space before so that they all perfectly sync. This has meant I began consolidating a lot of my processing (a scary thought for me to not be able to go back, though I think a useful push forward sometimes) and grouping tracks, which ended up leading to more mixing and "massaging" it all into place.
This week I presented my previous bounce to the class for feedback, which was actually rather helpful, for two reasons:
1) I received some good feedback, for example people seemed to be bored of the repetitiousness of the introduction. Whilst I had noticed this, I had hoped this would be beneficial for an accompanying "experience", but now I am second guessing my choices. This led me back in a circle to whether or not I should include all the songs. Also some of the resonant frequencies, vinyl crackle, and hifi scuttles were interrupting the listeners experience.
2) After listening critically to the other's work, I noticed that upon listening to my own again I could hear it with a slightly different set of ears: much more critical, but removed from the original process.
I got to work separating the parts for Jack and mixing down the remainder into the various required parts: each part's separate master, as well as these parts with consideration for the space before, and a master of the four parts mixed together. In addition, I have created a track with the MIDI information to trigger certain lights when certain instruments occur.
"You can't make a masterpiece with time constraints" - TA, 2021
Drawing a line in the sand was difficult for this, but I knew time was pressing on, for both Jack and I, so I tried to move forwards. Accepting that this is what it is for now, I finally have a stereo mix:
I had hoped to record a female for the quotes to overlay, but my voice actor missed the mark this week, leaving me with no clean vocal tracks. I was also hoping to finalise the stereo mix on analogue hardware, just to add a little gloss for my own pleasure, but with an awful voice recording session my time in the studio was up before I got the chance. Mostly I feel like through mixing I have lost some of the soul, though again it's hard to tell at home with so much noise pollution and currently bad/unfamiliar references. It has definitely been tamed in a good way, but I need to test it again in a real studio to see where my sub levels are now sitting.
It will be interesting too, now that I intend to present this as a trial run in The Void at SAE, to see how this "big" piece will relate in an enclosed space with more reverberation. I was hoping a lot of the phasing would present some unforeseen surprises when walking around with a quadrophonic setup, but this was acting under the assumption that it would be open air and there wouldn't be a lot of reflections. With so much detail in the production, I'm also wondering if the PA I'll be borrowing will be of high enough quality for the sparkle to shine through. Perhaps I should "master" it a little and bring up some of the high frequency range to compensate, but it sounded reasonably on point on my amazing ribbon tweeters at home. Mix for the setting I suppose, or perhaps find balance in the middle! ;)
Throughout this process, I did encounter numerous hiccups: particularly as I progressed through the parts bouncing certain groups for Jack, I frustratingly often misplaced "blank space" which led to sync issues down the track, and I had to double back to try again with more care. Extra sounds seemed to pop up and others would disappear, or group strangely; I guess that's a consequence of playing with phase a lot, and one that will be mitigated by surround panning. After much time and effort, I bounced out WAV stems of my project from Ableton and imported them into ProTools. Suddenly I felt more at ease, I missed ProTools. This had been my plan all along, but with so many parts requiring automation to properly blend, I hadn't felt like I was at the point to consolidate everything. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to mix on ProTools, but I guess technically this is a "remix". My favourite lesson was noticing the difference in summing algorithms between ProTools and Ableton, ProTools seemed much smoother and more refined. Additionally, I felt the same about the EQ's, they seemed harsher on Ableton. Perhaps a little too late to realise, but good to know moving forwards, and thankfully it is also quicker to export from ProTools (though perhaps that is what happens without multiple plugins running simultaneously).
Finally, although my expectations are humbly low, I set myself up a few social media sites, in preparation for any attention this project may attract:
[insta link]
[website link]
[linkedin link]
WEEK 11
Now that I've brought myself to listen to what I bounced last week, I'm frustrated first and foremost that a few detailed "leaf shakes" are in the wrong place towards the end of the piece. I had decided, at the suggestion of my mentor, to change the fade out to a more decisive finish. Mostly this was to bring the length of the piece down to a more engaging format for the soft opening presentation in The Void next week, since I wouldn't have the maximum amount of dry ice, lighting trees, or smoke bubbles to get lost in. The original fade out I placed there to "sympathetically" lower people's heart rate to a more balanced level. So instead, I lowered the tempo of the final part: this brought with it another world of problems. Mostly I work with sound in a very tactile way, recording into a DAW whilst manipulating pots and parameters, hence I often work with audio tracks timed to a BPM. I'm still becoming familiar with Ableton's warping capabilities so there was a lot of learning and playing around to put out some of the fires. The leaves are just one example of little fires I am now perceiving; I must have not warped the leaves to the correct location. Letting go is quite difficult, I have to keep reminding myself that nobody knows what they're supposed to hear; plus...art, right?
In other news, I did a dumb-dumb after the studio last week, and I understandably now have a week ban, though not the best of timing. So my upmixing to 5.1 on Genelecs plan has to either be deferred to early next week, pushing it very close to the deadline, or I find another solution. As a result I tried to play around with E4L, but I realised that the Logitech surround speakers I bought only work in a Dolby exported format. But! Whilst investigating the Dolby site I found that they also had a 90-day trial of their Atmos Production Suite. This provides me the ability to hear (relatively) what I'm doing through a binaural output, before exporting into a format that I can test immediately in my lounge room. I'm thinking this would also be great to try and test through the theatre at SAE early next week before running the experience on Wednesday. I installed all the necessary requirements, had a read through the Dolby Atmos Renderer guide (2018), and got to work.
On the bright side, all of this results in me exporting every stem from each part of my composition, providing me one last chance to mix/balance everything for the surround format. I rather enjoy working my head around new toys, and the Atmos Production Suite was no different, though running this close to the deadline becomes stressful; particularly when I am using an entirely new listening format. To perceive the surround 'atmos' setup, the headphones are sent the session encoded into binaural information, though as this is entirely unfamiliar to me it becomes extremely difficult to make good choices. I decided to wait until my studio ban was lifted on Saturday and go in to complete my work somewhere I was familiar, without background noise, with sub frequency response, and actually four speakers. This process of trying different methods to mix surround made me realise the importance of feeling comfortable within your workspace. Problem solving is fine, for personal time, but it's not what I want to be doing on a project with a deadline. Having uninterrupted time and space, along with the basic fundamental tools to complete the project is a necessity.
Instead I found time to visit a lighting store and get a feel for some of the DMX desks that I was planning on using, but I realised without spending top dollars, I wouldn't be able to connect them to the MIDI triggers I had created on my computer in Ableton. My new mission was to track down a MIDI-DMX USB interface. After some research I learned that ENTTEC was a trusted Australian company that had the device I wanted, but it wouldn't be available until later next week, after the project was set to be tested. Consequently, seeing few alternative options, I stupidly applied for Zippay and purchased a more expensive interface that was available immediately at the store I was in (they did also throw in a DMX compatible light to borrow for two weeks: in place of an expensive strobe, I plan to use this and automate on/off or a dimming parameter rapidly). Only to return home, and discover that to use the device required software, at further cost!
Furthermore, I was requested this week to give up some of the space that I booked in for next week's presentation, so I began to think it might make more sense to host the experience the following week, in an external space of my design, without interruption, and with an interface that doesn't completely blow my budget. I reached out to the owner of Warehouse 25 to begin the planning process, alerted relevant stakeholders, and ordered the part from Brisbane Sound Group to be picked up after the public holiday, to ensure no further holdbacks.
Waiting for my studio ban to lift, I:
wrapped my head around timecode for the synchronisation of lights, found a free LTC timecode wavfile generator (though they run on donations so highly recommend!), prepared for when I get my MIDI-DMX interface.
followed up on my graphic designer, I ended up going with the free one for budget reasons.
drilled a hole in an esky and installed some tubing, sealed and attached at the other end to the PVC pipe, which is also sealed and cut with a slit filed down on the edges for optimum flow. I realised that it would be ideal to also install a Y-junction on the pipe near the base (esky) with a cap, that I could remove to pour more boiling water in to maintain the screen. This would also require a hole, with a grate, towards the bottom of the esky, but above the dry ice level, leading out into some kind of container (perhaps a CamelBak type) to store the excess water. Though once again all of this is adding to more cost, so instead I communicated with Jack that perhaps the visuals could be designed ultimately around the last scene, when I could release the dry ice in one burst for effect. He was in favour and aimed to have it to me by the end of the week.
tracked down another projector, so that I could create a little atmosphere in the inside setting that I host it, and project something like this onto a wall to simulate some of the outside effect:
Finally on Saturday my ban had lifted and I made it into the studio to mix into surround. I thoroughly enjoyed this process, enabling me to remix it, re-EQ it, ride the faders, introduce the tracks from the rear or front, and really work in a tactile way to automate and feel the soul of the music. I did this utilising ProTools' latch function, over a few hours, trying to balance all of the components 'around the room'. I realised that once there is no "front/forward" position, if people are walking around, then stereo tracks can be panned to positions such as L-Rs. It was a very creative process, and since I had so many layers to work with, there was a lot of possibilities. I had a few layers of field recordings that when panned around provided more space in the mix, and felt like frogs were coming from one direction, whilst birds the other. Similarly, I had resampled one of the sounds an octave higher, and they were already automated L-R, so with a slight delay and the different octaves sent front and back, a special effect was created, at least for my ears. After bringing in the last element, I left for a quick break, planning to listen in full upon return. It was one of the few times I've had in a studio where I came back in and didn't want to change anything. It's imperfections were still constructive for the piece. And once in a surround setting I was excited to hear it. With studio time over, and half of the project now in surround, it would have to be after the public holiday that I can return to complete it.
WEEK 12
With the presentation delayed until next week, I now have a week to compile everything together. The location has been confirmed at Warehouse 25, a venue in Milton with a concrete underground area that would be easily adaptable to create a setting. With a capacity of 50 people, I would probably only want 20-25 to provide everyone some space, as such I have created a list and am waiting for the graphic designer to return with my banners to formally invite them.
I have downsized my screen idea to include minimal ice for budget maintenance, and received the projection from Jack. It is quite hypnotising and fits the brief, but compared to the work I sent as reference, and to the work that I saw of his that initially piqued my interest in working with him, it didn't seem to the same standard. He did speak of working with the screen particularly though, and I am not well versed in VFX, so perhaps the lower detail on a computer will translate to looking more interesting on dry ice smoke. I discussed with how I thought it would be more reactive however, and he explained the difficulty in setting thresholds that would work throughout the whole piece. I have discussed sending different stems for him, but he said just to leave it with him and he will play with it if he has time; though I get the impression he is quite busy.
I have also obtained my ENTTEC interface... but it could never be that easy. It has 5-pin connectors, the light I have on loan and cable I purchased has 3-pin: this budget is getting really tight.
Planning for the presentation, I booked out four foldbacks from SAE, along with an interface that is capable of sending four channels. I also booked studio time when it was suitable later in the week. With only the surround mix to go, I was preparing myself by writing up a runsheet for presentation day.
WEEK 13
It all comes crashing down: I'm devastated to report that I've had to step away from the project.
The final straw was the inability to complete my surround mix. With 40+GB of stems to import, the computer in the studio didn't have enough space. I began problem solving: re-exporting things grouped to reduce file size, completing sections at a time and bouncing to a more complete whole whilst deleting old files and importing new stems into whatever space was left, but eventually it appeared impossible without losing too much of my initial ambition. It was particularly frustrating that I would have to compensate for the closing section, leaving the possibility of a creative close behind.
Upon the failing of a complete surround mix, I realised that:
my empty budget had already downsized my dry ice screen
upon which a projection that didn't reach my expectations would appear
I was still delaying pouring more money into the 5-pin to 3-pin connector for my "strobe"
my free graphic designer had to prioritise paid work and as such is still only half way through mine
it was no longer outside
plus I wasn't happy with my vocal actor so it was missing a lot of context anyway
I essentially recognised that continuing as planned would cause me mental stress, financial stress, and I wasn't proud enough of it as a whole to present to the world just yet. With time and money, I can't wait to piece it all together to present officially, but for now I need to once again draw a line in the sand. I have to appreciate how far I've come and what I've created, recognise that this decision wasn't made from a lack of effort, but I've worked diligently (perhaps sometimes excessively) towards an ambitious goal, and that this failure is but a stepping stone towards a greater goal; a stepping stone that has presented many learning opportunities for my development.
As far as learning from the failure to present, I see now that planning the accessories from the start would have been highly beneficial. I was so concerned at the beginning that I wouldn't be able to create enough music on demand, that I overlooked how much I didn't know about the DMX universe. I researched enough to know it was possible, but not down to technical requirements: as I would have discovered that expensive equipment does what you would expect and read about, but the lower in price you go the more compatibility issues and fires to put out there are. Planning for public holidays was also an oversight, that damaged my time schedule in the end, and will certainly be taken into consideration in the future. I'm really unsure how to mitigate the inability to mix completely into surround however. I have been searching for a new house throughout this process (as mentioned earlier it hasn't been a happy environment lately), and have recently been approved for one where I have a studio to myself which I'm stoked about! I guess using your own system would prevent from these issues, as I would have control over my workstation. Other than that the amount of time required for me to re-bounce and re-add new stems seems unreasonable to me and if ultimately required of me I would just keep the project much more simple. But as that goes against every fibre of technical objective I had for this project, I can't bring myself to do it.
Overall however, it has been an incredibly rewarding and evolving and learning experience. Reflecting, just the sheer amount of new processes I learned and applied was surprising:
Communicating with the Brisbane City Council, and understanding how real world projects can be put on
Strobe machines, bubble machines, projectors; how they function practically and how to time them with DMX compatibility
Water mist screens, and eventually a DIY dry ice screen!
Using timecode and triggering lights or other effects with MIDI information in Ableton
E4L surround sound software for Ableton
Dolby Atmos Production Suite
Resolume
Touchdesigner
All of these are skills that have helped me to broaden my knowledge of audio (and visual) practices. The ability to communicate with Jack came intuitively, as after much research and practical experimenting I was able to understand his type of software, albeit at a basic level. This project has definitely inspired me to continue playing with VFX, until I can create what I would like for the presentation myself.
I'm also excited to have the ability to collect DMX compatible devices now and continue my exploration into that world of using MIDI triggers and creating a live light show for myself. I realised most of all out of this project, I learned that I love to learn, and explore, and create, but on my own time. I certainly need to find work mixing, mastering, live gigs, advertisement work, however I can whilst I create for passion without rigid timeframes, and slowly build a portfolio for myself over time.
Along this journey, I learned a few great things about how I work optimally:
create at night (for "brightness"), mix during the day (for "tightness")
healthy life for a healthy headspace; much better work is created
I work best in my own comfortable, separate, private space, with my own fully functional equipment
I need to balance out the hard work with breaks and space from the project, to encourage clarity and good decisions
I look forward to completing the surround mix, acquiring my equipment and presenting Balance to the world some day soon, but for the meantime, a line-in-the-sand stereo mix paired to some VFX will have to do. It's been fun, and testing, full of problem solving and learning and reading and experimenting and constructing. I've improved my file maintenance, almost perfected naming protocols, discovered to a new extent the difference that can be created in alternate grouping/busing, discovered my workflow, made use of so many different tools and techniques (analogue audio destruction, Zoom H8 field recordings, binaural field recordings, experimental MKH416 field recordings, sample manipulation and Ableton warping, various synthesis techniques, and layers of them, and groups of them, LFO-based automation, manual fader rides and pot-mapped automation...), discovered how to use saturation and high frequency content to create the hi-fi effect I have been missing in my life, and most importantly, how to complete a project (even if that means to draw a line in the sand, but to bring the file to "mastered" stage), and perhaps more importantly, how to fail. To accept defeat, learn from mistakes, plan better in the future, pick up and try again; and that's exactly what I plan to do.
I said this at the very beginning, and I feel like I've come full circle but, coming to a natural garden near you... immersive quadrophonic sound and light installation. This time with budget in mind and less experimentation, but more realistic expectations.
Over & Out
- TA
REFERENCES
Dolby. (2018). Atmos Renderer guide:
EL-Tee-See. (2021). LTC SMPTE Timecode Wav file: http://elteesee.pehrhovey.net/
YouTube. (2017). Virtual Forest Walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSmUI3m2kLk
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