Contemporary trends in the use of space in electroacoustic music (original) (raw)
Related papers
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...
A speaker agnostic approach to spatialisation in electroacoustic music
Proceedings of the 21st Sound and Music Computing Conference, 2024
While spatial audio technologies have developed dramatically in the last twenty years, the compositional approaches to spatialisation in electroacoustic music are still fragmented. No coherent and shared language for spatialisation exists yet, and it is often challenging to reproduce an electroacoustic piece in different space from the one it was conceived in. In this paper we delve deeper into an approach about spatial audio and spatialisation techniques in the electroacoustic arts that we called 'speaker agnosticism'. By introducing Lilla Salen, a multichannel system of up to 49 speakers in a dome like configuration, and the authors' compositions, we describe a method of treating the concert hall as an instrument irrespective of the number of speakers it contains, or their arrangement. This paradigm shift encourages an 'organic' approach to music spatialisation, steering away from the traditional 'Euclidean' mindset. Finally, this project hints at the possibility of 'touring' pieces: by treating multichannel systems rather as instruments. Thanks to current audio technologies it is possible to 'transcribe' works between concert halls without losing the musical intention.
The proliferation of spatialisation technology has encouraged a mass of unclassified techniques for the use of spatial manipulation in electroacoustic music. The complexity involved with theorizing the composers conception, the transmission of sound via electroacoustic means and the resulting listeners perception of a spatial work is a multifaceted and interdisciplinary task. Composer and theorist Denis Smalley in his essay Spectro-morphology and Structuring Processes proposed arguably the most influential theory for sound spatialisation in electroacoustic music of the last three decades. The focus of this study is a critical analysis of Smalley’s theoretical framework for Spatial Articulation, and the contrast of these findings with recent developments in advanced spatialisation technology and successive theories. The study consists of a literature review of proposed theoretical frameworks relating to and including Smalley’s Spatial Articulation.
The Parameter of Space: Can Instrumental and Acousmatic Music Share the Same Approach to Space?
The attempt to arrive at common solutions to space in acousmatic and instrumental music may be beneficial in two ways: to generate approaches to spatialisation in mixed pieces, and to break up views that may seem incontestable within only one of the two domains. Building on the basis that the increased importance of spatial audio reflects a fundamental aesthetic evolution of contemporary art music, this paper presents a comparative study of approaches to space in electroacoustic and instrumental music. Compositional techniques are examined with reference to their deployment of space, both those that distinguish the acousmatic domain from the acoustic, and others that demonstrate the crossing over between the two domains. A discussion about space as a musical parameter explores resulting implications for electroacoustic and instrumental music.
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.
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...
From Point to Sphere: Spatial Organization of Sound in Contemporary Music (after 1950)
Canadian University Music Review, 1993
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 ...
Computer Music Journal
Composers of electroacoustic music have developed and creatively implemented various spatialization techniques for multichannel loudspeaker setups. What is not known is which of these spatialization techniques is most effective for exploiting the extended creative possibilities available in multidimensional sound. This article discusses an experiment investigating the perception of the spatial attributes of "envelopment" and "engulfment" within a highdensity loudspeaker array. The spatialization techniques used in the experiment were timbre spatialization, spectral splitting, amplitude point-source panning, and dynamic spectral subband decorrelation. Three loudspeaker setups, or spatial dimensions, were investigated: horizontal-only; elevated-only; and three-dimensional, which consisted of both horizontal and elevated loudspeaker setups. Results suggest that dynamic spectral subband decorrelation was perceived as both the most enveloping and the most engulfing technique when compared to other techniques in these experimental loudspeaker configurations. We propose that the experimental results can be successfully implemented when composing electroacoustic music to exploit the creative possibilities in a high-density loudspeaker array or in other multichannel loudspeaker configurations. Spatialization Technique Authors Spectral Approaches Frequency-domain processing Torchia and Lippe (2004) Spectral spatialization with boids Kim-Boyle (2006) Timbre spatialization Normandeau (2009) Spectral splitting Wilson and Harrison (2010) Equalator technique Barreiro (2010) Granulation Approaches Sound spatialization with particle systems Kim-Boyle (2005) Swarm lab Davis and Rebelo (2005) Spatial-swarm granulation Wilson (2008) Decorrelation and Panning Approaches Decorrelation Kendall (1995) Subband decorrelation Potard and Burnett (2004) Spectral-magnitude-based decorrelation Wilson and Harrison (2010) Pairwise and amplitude point-source panning Chowning (1971) Amplitude-dependent approach Wilson and Harrison (2010) Summary of techniques used by specific composers (for details cf. Lynch and Sazdov 2011a).