For our Sound Studies and Aural Cultures unit, we are writing a podcast about a chosen topic to do with contemporary issues in sound art. This will help us develop a critical awareness when investigating our chosen subjects. Sound Memory? What perspective cultural capital do we bring consciously or unconsciously to the forefront? Who am …
Author archives: Steve Stonhold
Quadraphonic Sound
Francis Ford Coppola was apparently influenced by Tomita’s use of Quadraphonic sound when asking him to originally do the soundtrack for Apocalypse Now, wanted a synthesiser rendition of Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’. Instantly I am reminded of Wendy Carlos’ work with Kubrick and the heavy use of synthesiser renditions of classical music in their collaborations. …
Sound For Screen
In our first lecture for Sound for Screen, Milo played us the first 50 minutes of ‘Making Waves’, a history of sound for screen. This documentary focussed on work by Walter Murch, Ben Burrt, Robert Altman, Randy Thorn, Richard Beggs, John Lasseter & Gary Rydstrom. “Ears lead our eyes to where the story lives.” – …
Spatialisation Specialisation
Here are the Logic DAW Definitions of Quadraphonic and 5.1 Surround Sound. For Spatialisation we will be mainly focussed on the latter. Wendy Carlos used a quadraphonic set up with a speaker directly in front and behind, and hard left and right. Early innovators of Quadraphonic Sound were Stockhausen’s Gruppen. Written for 3 Orchestras placed …
Sam Auinger – Visiting Practitioner Series
We were blessed at the start of this term with a fascinating talk from Sam Auinger, who spoke quite candidly and casually about sound, but whose dedication and depth of work spoke for itself. Sam encouraged students to bring a small rock or pebble to the session and to consider and perform his sound piece …
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Reflections on hand in.
Having some time to think on the hand in for the Global Sonic Cultures Unit, I feel there are a few things personally I would like to fix about my approach to this kind of research in the future. Whilst I am first year and perhaps it’s important to cover the basics of sound art, …
Researching for Essay
Aeolian Harp, a greek invention. Mentioned in Joseph Lanza’s ‘Elevator Music’. It has it’s origins in Greek mythology, Homers says that Hermes had created a lyre from dried sinews and a tortoise shell that could be ‘played by the wind’. This Aleatoric instrument has existed in myth and ancient culture but was first written about …
Bishi, Visiting Practitioner Series
Albion Voice Troubling relationship with England. “Indian skin and Albion voice.” When discussing her experience as a working musician Bishi states ‘There is colonial bias in the music industry’ as she and others she has encountered have felt South Asian British acts are regularly shipped into the category of ‘world music’, this kind of profiling …
Muzak, The history of background music, modern forms of Muzak, how the philosophy has developed into modern day.
I am currently reading David Toop’s Ocean of Sound. Toop speaks a little bit about Muzak, in relation to Brian Eno and various sci-fi books that predicted AI generated music and store bought Sound Sculptures. The commodification of Sound outside of music. It’s quite an interesting read. Alongside the Radio feature on Muzak I posted …
Zakia Sewell’s ‘My Albion’, a reflection on Black British identity.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000pffx Zakia, of both Caribbean and British decent talks about her experiences as mixed raced in England & Wales. In ‘The Cuckoo’, the first episode from ‘My Albion’, Zakia talks about being drawn to Pentangle and other folk revivalists of traditional English music. Asking questions about whether this music can belong to her. When interviewing …
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