Field Recordings Workshop

Field Recordings Workshop

A workshop / laboratory directed by:

Luis Costa (PT)

OBJECTIVES

In our hyper-visual modern world, where we are bombarded with constant visual media… television, advertisements, etc… we have forgotten how to listen. Students will be guided to “re-tune” their ears to actively pay attention to the rich aural world around them, to listen actively and imaginatively, and not just passively hear. They will then use their ears, creativity, and new set of tools to create an audio composition using the world around them as instrument.

The laboratory offers an introduction to:

Methods of directing the ear towards detailed sonic perception
The use of sound to examine the qualities of the surrounding space and a person’s perspective of it
Methods and tools for recording the sound environments
Methods for organizing and creating a sound library
An historical perspective on sound art and the use of field recordings in music
Basics of sound physics and music composition theory
Practical approaches to composing music with field recordings

The laboratory will be conducted by two artists who are specialists in the various areas in question (sound recording, digital audio processing and computer music composition) and proposes an approach of immediate and practical application of the concepts and tools, through the development of a final project including contributions of all the participants.

TARGET GROUP

Any person interested in sound art and, generically, in experimental artistic practice.

STRUCTURE

1st Phase: Introduction to Sound

Brief historical summary of “musique concrète” and sound art and examples of contemporary artists working with field recordings (“phonographers”)
Presentation of the basic of sound physics and music composition theory
Introduction to the concept of “Soundscape”

2nd Phase: Retuning the Ears

Development and broadening of consciousness on the surrounding space using concentration and relaxation techniques
Active listening exercises of the environmental sounds and discussion on their acoustic characteristics
Creation of a list of sounds to record

3rd Phase: Environmental Sound Recording

Introduction to sound recording equipment. The role of different types of microphones in different sound capturing scenarios
Environmental sound recording exercises
Introduction to the Audacity sound editing software and its applicability in the post-production of recorded sounds
Brief introduction to the techniques of digital audio processing and their use in the manipulation of the recorded sounds
Collective discussion, selection and editing of sounds to be used in the final composition

4th Phase: Composing with Field Recordings

The participants will develop, at the last day of the laboratory, a brief collaborative sound composition using the various notions and techniques learned in the previous modules. The final audio piece will be publicly presented and, after its ending, a collective reflection session will take place where the results of the workshop and the final project will be analyzed by all the participants and the possibilities for further exploration of the concepts will be discussed.

DURATION AND LOCATIONS

2 days in full-time (8 hours) or 4 days in part-time (4 hours), in dates and places to be announced.

REQUIREMENTS

It is recommended that those participants who use some kind of sound editing / multi-track software (Cool Edit Pro, Audacity, Logic Audio, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, etc.) bring their laptops. Nevertheless, the sound editing module of the workshop will essentially use the Audacity freeware software.

APPLICATIONS

Please send an e-mail message to info[at]binauralmedia.org, referring your name, address, age, e-mail address, URL, short biography and the reason for applying to this workshop.

The laboratories will be organized as a function of the number of applications received from the same geographical region.

Some photos and video from previous workshops:

Vimioso, Portugal (May 2008):