Abstract:
The space in which a sound waves propagate determines how that sound resonates, affecting how we experience those sounds, how we make music, how we communicate, and even how we behave. However, the current field of sound space analysis examines these spaces solely through the lens of room acoustics, ignoring the many extra-musical resonances within a sound space, such as social and cultural resonances that can be felt and impact how we experience sound. This paper proposes a novel research-creation approach that combines the scientific, Western study of room acoustics with an ethnographic approach that examines the extra-musical resonances to sound space analysis. Using traditional Irish pubs as a case study, the resonances of these sound spaces were analysed, examined, and then virtually recreated in a prototype called Trad Sesh. As well as providing a venue for traditionally Irish Celtic music, Irish pubs are rich in their social and cultural extra-musical resonances; acting as a space of social gathering, a space to practice and reclaim the Irish language, and a space to participate in the old Irish tradition of storytelling. To recreate these many acoustic and extra-musical resonances, Trad Sesh combines soundscape recordings, convolution reverb, and AI-driven musical agents to create an immersive, interactive sonic environment. This research-creation project demonstrates how the social and cultural resonances of a sound space can be just as, if not more, impactful on our experience of sound in space as room acoustics and by including them in our analysis of sound space studies, we gain a deeper understanding of how these spaces impact our experience of sound and we broaden the field of study to include previously overlooked spaces.
Abstract:
Room resonance is often seen as an extension of our musical instruments. As musicians, artists and acoustic re-searchers, built environments such as churches, cathedrals, and large performance halls have functioned as sites for research and digital modelling. However, these spaces can be noninclusive and gated as they are often tied to specific theologies, wealth, and social status. In an effort to broaden this field of study, this paper examines the possibility of inclusive community performance spaces beyond built structures through a case study of the open-air stages in the cloud forest of Costa Rica. In addition, to promote access this project explores options for recreating those spaces virtually. Conventional modelling techniques involving impulse responses and convolution reverb software prove ineffective for outdoor spaces, and instead, the resonance of these spaces is inferred through auditory responses of surrounding birdsong using So-max2 generative AI musical agents. As a means of further exploring this resonance, a composition/instrument entitled Cloud Conversations was created by combining a guitar composition and Somax2 agents, providing a virtual overlap of spaces and resonances. This novel approach to modelling the sonic resonances of outdoor performance spaces expands the field of study to support future community-oriented practices that can be shared both in the field and online.
Abstract:
In this paper, we will look at sympathetic resonance as seen in SouthAsian instruments as a source of complex performer-instrumentinteraction. In particular, we will compare this rich tradition to thevarious types of human/machine interactions that arise in digitalinstruments endowed with computational agency. In reflecting onthe spectrum of agency that exists between the extremes of in-strumental performance and machine partnership, we will arriveat two concepts to help frame our study of complex interactionsin acoustic instruments: the co-production of sound and materialagency. As a case study, we asked musicians of these South Asianinstruments questions about their perceived relationship with theirsympathetic strings. Building upon this, we designed and createdan interactive system that models the phenomenon of performingwith sympathetic strings. We then asked musicians to interact withthis new system and answer questions based on this experience.The results of these sessions were examined both to uncover anysimilarities between the two sets of interviews,and to situate this en-tangled performer-instrument interaction with respect to markersof perceived control, influence, co-creation, and agency.