Using sound scape

One of the objectives of this thesis is to identify various possibilities of proposing and communicating the soundscapes.

There are several options and decisions that are determined by the desired results. In general, there are two types of approach. Those confined to a documentarist context and those of artistic nature, with the intention of expanding on the evocative or musical potential of the recorded environment sounds. Sometimes natural soundscapes are themselves already rich in content and density of information and the composer only has the task of highlighting their natural beauty. Sometimes, instead, it is necessary to eliminate or layer the parts that, within an artistic project, would alone be of little interest. It must be taken into account that at the presentation stage of the recorded soundscape to an audience, inevitably there is an alteration and variation to the perceived soundscape and this variation could bring in new meanings.

According to “The creative use of sound may in other words contribute to enlarging the ontology and epistemology of the soundscape” –

Within this variety of approaches, in order to describe the nature of “eco-acoustic composition”, in the next chapter we will try to set a list of different styles according to an increasing degree of elaboration and abstraction.

Sound photo composition

Sound video composition

Soundwalking

Performance

Using

Documentary
Reconstruction
Transformation
Composition
Installation

Soundscape composition

Documentary:

In this style the field recording is presented in its originality, without any kind of manipulation or layering. It is therefore a purist approach which sometimes adopts a particular microphone setup of 4 tracks recording. Some crossfades and small sound cleaning operations are allowed. This approach is adopted by ethnomusicologists, bioacoustics researchers and archive records, such as recordings of forests without human presence and can be carried out in stereo or multi-channel format for acousmatic performances.

Examples: see the work of Bernie Krause – and the project “Fragment of extinction”.

Reconstruction:

This approach utilizes techniques of multitrack layering and filtering in order to equalize and remove background noise. Uninteresting parts are removed and acoustic identities are reconstructed through crossfading. Editing mustn’t be invasive and denaturalize the audio material. The intention of the composer is to recreate a portrait or the essence of a place.

This approach is mostly used for CD publications of environmental sound, and in a wide variety of museum settings.

Examples: Listen to Soundscape composition by Chris Watson and Francisco Lopez.

Transformation:

In this approach the soundscape is used as a source, as a mine of new sonorities. Sounds can be heavily manipulated and transformed in such a way as to become unrecognizable. The composer’s intention relates to transfiguration, and this approach is most often used in the fields of music and sound art.

Among the various techniques used for transformation we mention:

– slowdown or speedup of the samples

– filtering or equalisation that denaturalise the original recording

– looping techniques

– granular synthesis

– sudden passages from one sample to another

Examples: Listen to the work of Jana Winderen and Thomas Koner and “Islands” by Barry Truax (2000), where field recordings are processed with granular synthesis techniques.

Composition:

Using environmental recordings, the principal aim here is to create new soundscapes, imaginary soundscapes, where the field recordings serve as raw material for a different compositional use. During field recording, individual sounds are often isolated through space-selective microphone techniques, and this allows for the sound material to be re-composed, through superimposition and repetition of the singular elements, through sudden crosscuts from one element to another, or through simultaneous combination of different complex sound environments. In soundscape composition, synthetic sound material and musical instruments are often added in the composition process, and the composer’s intention relates to his invention. The soundscape composition approach is mostly used in contemporary music and sound art.

Installation:

An installation where images, videos and interactions can be implemented in addition to sound. Here, field recordings are used as material for specific types of diffusion in different contexts. A key element of most sound installations is the adaptation of the recorded material to the new acoustical set/venue, often realized through new formats of multichannel diffusion, sound sculpting, or simply through embracing the acoustics of the venue as a compositional parameter.

The focus is the re-contextualisation of existing soundscapes (pure, manipulated or composed), imbuing them with a new identity in an environment other than the original. The composer/artist’s intention relates to this re-contextualization, and this approach is mostly used for sound art, public art and contemporary art museums.

For example the work of Bill Fontana (Harmonic Bridge Tate Gallery, London 2006).

Multichannel installations:

These are installations that simulate the original environment where sounds were recorded.

It is a physical environment that hosts several speakers evenly distributed.

This approach is used for sound art, public art and in contemporary art museums.

Sonic postcards:

This is a composition form that uses a photograph whith a specific soundscape corresponding to the exact location where the sound has been recorded. The sound can be original or reconstructed.

This approach is widespread on the web and in installations and educational project.

Sound photography composition:

This is a photographic sequence usually geographically coherent with the soundscape.

The sound can be original or reconstructed.

This approach is mostly used for sound art, public art and contemporary art museums.

See the chapter about Sound photography composition in this thesis.