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Papers by Carl Boland

Recent Advances in Technologies for Inclusive Well-Being, 2020

This chapter presents a contemporary and original musical instrument proposed for use in music th... more This chapter presents a contemporary and original musical instrument proposed for use in music therapy—the instrument is namely ATV Corporation’s electrorganic aFrame. This chapter reports on initial aFrame intervention testing by music therapists as a part of the second phase of research. This follows over six-months of proof-of-concept trials questioning reactions across a range of contemporary musical instruments and their potential use in music therapy, wherein the aFrame was the preferred device by testers. As the name suggests, the aFrame is modeled on a traditional frame drum, and appears to be aimed at skilled hand percussionists, with the appeal of applying natural playing techniques to an electronic instrument. What makes the aFrame unique is the sensor array and electronic sound module combination that generates a richly expressive palette of sounds beyond the scope of other electronic percussion instruments. The posited hypotheses are concerned with the applied potential...

This practice-as-research study documents the development of a sonic arts approach to film sound ... more This practice-as-research study documents the development of a sonic arts approach to film sound design. An interdisciplinary conceptual framework that combines selected theories of electroacoustic music and apposite perspectives from film soundtrack studies informs the approach. Over the course of the research, a broadening practical knowledge of theoretical applications influenced the development of the sound design approach and its conceptual framework. The term 'sonic arts' characterises the compositional tenets of the sound design approach, which takes the form of an inter-modal strategy based on the interdependence of two compositional modes. The inter sonic compositional mode corresponds to sound-object design and to the forming of meaningful structural relationships between soundtrack elements. The audiovisual compositional mode corresponds to forming meaningful relationships between soundtrack elements and film images. The overall approach also reflects Walter Murch...

The term ‘sonic arts’ characterises the compositional tenets of the sound design approach, which takes the form of an inter-modal strategy based on the interdependence of two compositional modes. The intersonic compositional mode corresponds to sound-object design and to the forming of meaningful structural relationships between soundtrack elements. The audiovisual compositional mode corresponds to forming meaningful relationships between soundtrack elements and film images. The overall approach also reflects Walter Murch’s concept of sound design as a multifaceted practice endeavour, which includes taking creative responsibility for the soundtrack in post-production (Murch 1995).

The presentation of research in this thesis comprises two distinct parts. The first part outlines the sonic arts approach, defines the theoretical basis of its conceptual framework, and identifies potential practice applications. The second part presents three case studies of sound design practice for independent film projects. The case studies document applications of the conceptual framework and critically reflect on acquired practical knowledge of the sonic arts approach.

The study concludes that the electroacoustic music theories of spectromorphology and indicative fields (Smalley 1986; 1992; 1997) have useful applications in sound design practice as a perception-based system of analysis. The research also illustrates that sonic landscape theory (Wishart 1986; 1996) constitutes a creatively enabling conceptual framework for sound design when it is applied to the inter-modal compositional strategy.

Refs:

Murch, W. (1995) ‘Sound Design: The Dancing Shadow’, in Boorman, J., Luddy, T., Thomson, D. and Donohoe, W. (eds.) Projections 4: Film-makers on Film-making. London: Faber and Faber, pp. 237–251.

Smalley, D. (1986) ‘Spectro-morphology and structuring processes’, in Emmerson, S. (ed.) The Language of Electroacoustic Music. London: Macmillan, pp. 61–93.

Smalley, D. (1992) ‘The Listening Imagination: Listening in the Electroacoustic Era’, in Paynter, J., Howell, T., Orton, R. and Seymour, P. (eds.) Companion to Contemporary Musical Thought (Vol. 1). London: Routledge, pp. 514–554.

Smalley, D. (1997) ‘Spectromorphology: Explaining Sound Shapes’, Organised Sound, 2(2), pp. 107–126.

Wishart, T. (1986) ‘Sound Symbols and Landscapes’, in Emmerson S (ed.) The Language of Electroacoustic Music. London: Macmillan, pp. 41–60.

Wishart, T. (1996) On Sonic Art. London: Routledge.