A speaker agnostic approach to spatialisation in electroacoustic music (original) (raw)
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Music, Space & Theatre: Site-specific approaches to multichannel spatialisation
Approaches to the multichannel spatialisation of electroacoustic music are described here with reference to musical case studies which focus upon the expressive functions of space and the theatricality of sound diffusion in an acousmatic context. A site-specific approach to spatialisation is proposed to enhance theatrical aspects of musical performance. Case studies include proposals for novel layouts of the diffusion system within the performance space and compositional techniques that are designed to re-evaluate our understanding of individual listening spaces.
Music, Space and Theatre: Site-specific approaches to multichannel spatialisation
Organised Sound, 2010
"Approaches to the multichannel spatialisation of electroacoustic music are described here with reference to musical case studies which focus upon the expressive functions of space and the theatricality of sound diffusion in an acousmatic context. A site-specific approach to spatialisation is proposed to enhance theatrical aspects of musical performance. Case studies include proposals for novel layouts of the diffusion system within the performance space and compositional techniques that are designed to re-evaluate our understanding of individual listening spaces."
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In this study of spatial organization of sound, that is of "spatialization" in music, the term "spatial" refers to the three-dimensional performance space, not to pitch. "Spatialized music," distinct both from polychoral music and from musical theatre, means music with quasi-spatial structure defined by the composer in the score or in another medium of sound coding (digital or analog recording, specific software). Spatialization includes ensemble dispersion, movement of sounds, performers and audience, juxtaposition and interaction of real and virtual sound sources – every situation in which the position of the sound sources and the acoustic quality of the performance space are given compositional significance. A classification of spatial designs in music is followed by examples illustrating three aspects of spatialization: (1) the expression or simulation of geometrical patterns in music, (2) the movement of sound, (3) the symbolic function of spatial ...
Contemporary trends in the use of space in electroacoustic music
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Historically, most acousmatic works were composed in stereo and performed, or "diffused", over loudspeaker orchestras. These systems furnished performers and composers with a wealth of opportunities to enhance the spatial contrast, motion, and musical articulations latent in the music. Although loudspeaker orchestras, stereo diffusion, and-more recently-hybrid performance techniques remain alive, especially in Europe, there is a trend towards fixed installation, high-density loudspeaker arrays (HDLAs), which I will call permanent HDLAs to differentiate them from loudspeaker-orchestra HDLAs. Permanent HDLAs (P-HDLAs) stimulate alternative approaches to musical space and pose challenges in both spatial composition and performance, encompassing both technology and aesthetics. This article consolidates many of the technical and aesthetic approaches that I have found specific to P-HDLAs with an emphasis on the application of higher-order Ambisonics (HOA) at fourth-order 3-D and above-what I will call V-HOA ("very high-order" Ambisonics) as distinguished from lower orders, or L-HOA (lower than fourth-order HOA). These approaches are guided by spatial-audio research, and then developed in a musical context. The study is divided into three sections: a description of musical and technical approaches that I have found to function over different P-HDLA installations; reflections on the compromises of lower-order monitoring during the compositional process; and presentation of the "Virtualmonium": an instrument for the performance of stereo works that benefits from the growing popularity of P-HDLA installations.
2011
Presenting musical composition on a multi-channel loudspeaker configuration has now been practiced for over 60 years. Pierre Schaeffer in partnership with Pierre Henry composed a number of works, one of the works was Symphonie pour un Homme Seul (1950). The composition was presented on a tetrahedral configuration, which consisted of a frontal pair, a single rear and one elevated loudspeaker (Zvonar, 2004). This is an example of one of the first presentation of a music composition on a 3D multi-channel loudspeaker configuration. From that point onwards, many composer began to present their works on multi-channel loudspeaker configurations. One such composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen composed a number of works, which were presented on 3D speaker configurations. At the 1970 World Expo in Japan, Stockhausen helped design a spherical concert hall, which included 50 groups of loudspeakers set up in 3D (Cott, 1973). At this event a number of commissioned electroacoustic compositions were pres...
Organised Sound, 2010
This paper outlines some recent developments in multichannel composition at the Electroacoustic Music Studios, University of Birmingham and its performance wing, BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre). In doing so it attempts to codify and define some emerging aspects of spatialisation practice which are found both within the BEAST community and beyond. The discussion covers software and techniques developed and adapted for use with BEAST, new and pragmatic approaches to composing for large-scale multichannel systems, such as n-channel composition and composing in 'stems', and issues arising from a resulting blurring between composition and performance practices.
The Creation and Projection of Space-Source in Electroacoustic Music.
Proceedings ICMC|SMC|2014 14-20 September 2014, Athens, Greece., 2014
This paper develops the notion of space-source in elec-troacoustic music. Space-source is one of the four spatial categories, drawn from the theoretical work of Annette Vande Gorne (the other spatial categories are space-ambiophony, space-geometry and space-illusion). It demonstrates the methods by which space-source can be integrated into the compositional process and in the projection of electroacoustic music in performance. It examines different ways with which space-source is perceived and deciphered. The influential role of the loudspeaker installation for the projection of space-source is also a preoccupation in this paper. The art of projection plays a decisive role in the perception of electroacoustic music and the space-source in particular. The way we compose and hear electroacoustic music is defined by a loudspeaker based approach. Individual or pairs of loudspeakers project sonic images, which are influenced by the acoustic properties of the listening space and the projection decisions made by the performer. Five spatial figures (Accentuation, Glittering, Unmasking, Inser-tion/rupture, Appearance/disappearance) are introduced as potential templates for the projection of space-source.
2013
The paper reports on an experiment designed to examine the perception of the spatial attributes of envelopment and engulfment in spatial techniques used in multichannel electroacoustic music. Four spatial techniques were examined, they were: (i) Timbre Spatialisation [1], (ii) Spectral Splitting [2], (iii) Amplitude Point Source [3], and the proposed (iv) Dynamic Spectral Spatialisation technique. The multi-channel loudspeaker configuration consisted of 16 loudspeakers, eight horizontal and eight elevated. The experiment was design whereby the four above mentioned spatial techniques were presented in three conditions: (i) Horizontal only, (ii) Elevated only, and (iii) Horizontal and Elevated, referred to as Three Dimensional (3D), loudspeaker configurations. The experiment took place in the Spatialisation Auditory Display Environment (SpADE) at the University of Limerick and has physical attributes that conform to the ITU-R BS.1116-1 listening room standard [4]. Each participant ind...