akourdoulloubbbwc2019

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Intense 1 (2020) My final piece for the bbb/wc project. (Listen with headphones)

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Mastering Process

A screenshot from the final step of production. Mastering the project takes the volume to 0db by turning up the gain and limiting the sound ceiling.

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Beyond Black Box/White Cube

Despite facing difficulties with the outbreak of Covid-19 and being stuck indoors due to the national quarantine, the beyond black box/white cube project has offered me interesting limitations and challenges that have shaped my work.   My concept stemmed from my own personal struggles with anxiety and the feelings associated with it. I decided that I would create a soundscape designed with the intention of evoking similar responses from listeners. Before I began, I had already accepted that every response to the work would be completely subjective and unique, and therefore approached the piece in the same way – this was my own subjective sound piece based on how I feel. The piece was created entirely by myself from synthesizers and sounds that I recorded around the house while stuck indoors. These sounds included people around my house talking and moving as well as more specific sounds such as kitchen appliances and pots and pans. From this, my plan was to make the recordings sound as unrecognizable as possible but still allowing them to sound sonically interesting. This was mostly achieved by playing with the pitch, reversing sounds and stretching recordings. I kept the project in the key of C minor as the minor scale generally signifies somber, darker moods in music theory. This was done with the fewest notes possible as I did not want it to sound too melodic, deciding that melody would make the piece sound too similar to conventional music. Most of these sounds and notes were then run through a range of effect plug-ins, such as equalizers, reverbs, delays, limiters and compressors which allowed me to sculpt the sound and create textures and atmosphere. The entire piece builds to a crescendo, which reflects the climax of an anxiety attack. I also tried to gradually speed up the tempo of the piece which worked for some parts but not others, creating an unusual mix of elements at ranging speeds. During the production stage of the project, I considered how I would display the work in a way that achieved the concept of BBB/WC. Sensory deprivation would be helpful for listeners to feel the full effects of the soundscape, so I decided to create an outdoor instillation based on that. By removing visual stimuli, participants would have less distraction from what they were hearing. The location I would have chosen would have been a phone box located near the University, with black card and a black curtain covering the windows and entrance. I felt that by placing the listener inside a claustrophobic, black space that removed all outside distractions, the participant would have a more vivid response while interacting with the piece. The soundscape would have been played through an iPod with a set of headphones so that the ear is protected from outside noise. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent quarantine, I was unable to display this piece in an environment created specifically for it, so I have instead settled for uploading it online (listening though headphones is still advised). Overall, I am satisfied with how the project came out, particularly as I was able to experiment working with sound.

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(Top) A screenshot from the exporting of the final project (Bottom) Some of the effects used to shape the sounds

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Final Display Idea

Despite the circumstances and the limitations of not being able to display my work during the Covid-19 quarantine, I would have liked to have displayed my work inside the phonebox on Edward Street with the windows covered in black card and a black curtain covering the entrance. I felt that out of all of the ideas I considered, this was the most effective plan that could achieve visual sensory deprivation, have a claustrophobic feel and isolate listeners allowing for a complete personal experience. Adding to the experience being personal to each listener, I would have also placed an iPod inside (in a case stuck to a wall to prevent it from being stolen) with headphones attached so that it cannot be heard from the outside. As well as this, I feel as though headphones give a better dynamic range that surrounds your ear rather than a speaker which will also be battling with outside noise.

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Limitations and Covid-19 Outbreak

This project has been somewhat derailed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and most of Europe (including the UK) being urged to stay indoors and avoid contact with people outside of your household. While there are many obvious disadvantages to the current situation, it has allowed me to explore my creativity around these limitation. I have spent time recording sounds and noises around the house using a microphone plugged into my laptop, seeking out sounds I have created rather than going outside and listening out for something interesting. I have found this easier than recording actual sounds out in the street as I have had to find things that sound sonically interesting and record them with an end sound in mind. These sounds have then been heavily processed with equalizers, filters, reverb machines and tape delays as well as playing with pitch and time stretching. These sounds have combined with other elements of the soundscape to create textures of sound that make the piece interesting to listen to, without any of the parts being identifiable. 

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Displaying Ideas

During a discussion with my tutor, we spoke about potentially placing the piece in a phonebox or a similar confined space hoping that the claustrophobic feeling will add to the piece’s effectiveness. The phonebox at the bottom of Edward Street is rarely used as most people carry mobile phones, meaning it could potentially host the soundscape as a sort of outdoor installation. By placing sheets of black card around the windows and a black curtain over the entrance, I could create a dark outdoor space that would fit the bbbwc project. I think that with the correct audio set up, this could work as a final installation location. An unplanned added element of having an outdoor piece is that the weather will also be a determining factor in the experience, especially if it is particularly hot or particularly cold.  

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Sensory Deprivation

For this project, I have thought a lot about sound and the importance of the audiences’ interaction with the piece. While I want the soundtrack to evoke responses, I don’t want a listener to become distracted by something around them. I think the best way to get around this problem is to place the piece in a location designed to cause sensory deprivation, particularly to sight. While it might be impractical to place listeners inside a real sensory deprivation tank, I could create a similar sort of physical space that would remove visual stimuli.

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Major and Minor - Music Theory (Simplified)

Something I have considered while doing sound experiments is how chords and scales effect the character of the piece. In music theory, these are broken down into major and minor. Typically, major chords are associated with happier sounding tones whereas minor are more somber. This is a simplified explanation as music theory is complicated, but this idea can also be applied simply to great effect. Despite wanting to avoid melody as it will become too “musical”, I will aim to create a sound piece in a minor key. This can be done with three notes that will anchor the whole piece and allow me to keep everything in tune, and then even purposely detune notes if necessary.  

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Simple Worldizing Sound Experiment A very simple clap demonstrating how Murch layered sounds, except created digitally. The first clap is the unchanged original sample (dry), the second clap is only the reverb which represents the “room noise” (wet) and the third clap is both of them layered together (dry+wet). The third clap sounds more complete than the other two as it uses the tonality and snap of the first clap and the atmosphere and space of the second, without sacrificing the original clap’s punch and timbre. I will try to apply this for certain elements in my soundscape to beef up sounds in a more analog way.  

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A short video explaining a sound technique Murch created called Worldizing. The video explains that Murch took a recording of a sound in a studio (for example, the band in the gymnasium in American Graffiti) then played the recorded sound in the physical space it was meant to be set in (the actual gymnasium) and recorded this playback. He would then layer both the original recording with the new recording in order to create a more realistic sound with much more body and dynamic range. The studio recording could then be adjusted in volume with the physical space recording still playing, which allowed more room for dialogue between characters to be heard without sacrificing the background noise. This was simplified with the introduction of technology capable of replicating this effect, but in the 1970′s it was revolutionary. Learning about this technique somewhat changed my perspective of sound and how it interacts with the space it is in. I plan on recording some noises around the house with a microphone and playing around with some effects in a digital audio workstation, using reverb and incorporating Murch’s techniques in my piece. The aim of this is to create a more realistic sounding atmosphere, despite most of it being abstract sound.    

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The soundtrack of Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic ‘Blade Runner’ was composed by Greek electronic musician Vangelis. It has since become one of the most regarded and iconic soundtracks in the history of cinema. Vangelis used a Yamaha CS-80 polysynth to create unique synths and atmospheres to build futuristic collages of sound that portray physical space while simultaneously setting the tone of the whole film. What I find most interesting about the soundtrack is his approach to making it. Vangelis would have several synthesizers set up around him all preloaded with the presets he wanted to use, allowing him to play the melodies and chords while watching what was visually happening in the film. He could then switch from synthesizer to synthesizer to match the sounds he wanted with what he saw. While my work will not feature any visual element, I deeply admire the Blade Runner soundtrack both as a sound piece and how well it compliments the visual elements of the film.

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Contact

Skype: alex-kourdoullou@live.co.uk If I cannot be contacted on skype please call/facetime me on: 07754451766

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

My first sound experiment for the bbbwc module. This was mostly an experiment into creating space and tension using sound to project these ideas. Reverb and delays help to give this sense of space. I recorded a lot of the sounds for it around my house on my phone, playing with the pitch and stretching elements of these recordings until they sounded completely unfamiliar. Seeing as anxiety was the inspiration for my idea, I decided to add sounds and effects that induce tension to mimic the fear and panic experienced during an anxiety attack. The lack of visual information leaves the piece somewhat ambiguous; audiences aren’t pinned to a conventional narrative and are therefore more likely to interpret what they hear in a completely unique way. My ideal way of presenting this work would be for listeners to hear it through headphones with their eyes closed, allowing for it to be experienced in isolation inside their head.

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Soundscape Experiment  A screenshot from a sound experiment I made. Using things recorded from my phone and a range of synthesizers and effects, I created a somewhat dark and atmospheric piece that has a defined organic, textured sound with a deep science fiction feel to it. This piece progressively leads to a crescendo and has and gradual change in tempo from the halfway point, going from 80bpm to 180bpm.    

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My collaboration piece with Jack and Kyle for the Sound/Vision project. For this project, I mostly worked on the soundscape, creating a sonic environment to satisfy the visuals. This was one of my first attempt at building an abstract soundscape that rejects typical musical conventions, such as melody and structure. Even the time signature was nonexistent, often not completely aligning with the time sequence of the video. I was happy with how this piece came out and see it as a good starting point for what I would like to do with this project. As I won’t have visuals to accompany my soundscape for my current project, I must focus on designing a soundscape that is more dynamic and atmospheric than this one, that can carry a narrative or flow without the aid of an image.

[akourdoulloubbbwc2019]

Sound as a Narrative

For this piece, I want to create a soundscape that indicates somewhat of a narrative without being too literal. This will be challenging as I want to keep elements of ambiguity and avant garde sound, while simultaneously not directly influencing the viewer’s understanding of the piece. The piece will aim to have points of tension and relief, that will keep the viewer engaged throughout the duration, but no conventional story or narrative. The soundscape will be closer to a piece of sound art, avoiding something too melodic or songlike as this will cheapen the piece and distort it as an art form with commercial ideas and influences.