Unit 1: Understanding Sound
Personal Miro Board: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lWWNc8w=/
Team Miro Board: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lVEVujo=/
02.02.2021: Day 1 — Exploring the properties and qualities of Sounds & Researching
Listening to Matt create a variety of sounds with different materials, we were introduced to the concept of interpreting and translating the qualities and properties of sounds to illustrate expressively.
Brief Notes from class
Different materials, forces, and even locations create sounds that possess distinct qualities and properties. Here are a few considerations when analyzing sounds:
Observations & Considerations:
- Volume (Loud/ Quiet)
- Frequency/ Pitch (High/ Low)
- Sharpness (Piercing)
- Hard/Soft
- Audible (Can we hear it? Air pressure?)
- Feeling (Can we feel it?)
- Timbre
- Color? Does it represent one
- Waves?
- Overtones/Undertones
- Complexity
- Harsh/airy?
- Materials
- Location
All these aspects establish how sound is absorbed, travels, and is generated.
Contemplating these considerations, I created a spread on the sounds that a simple plastic Gatorade bottle generates as it is hit in numerous locations. First, I did research on sound waves, including the fundamentals of understanding causes behind vibrations, different frequencies, pitches, and volumes. I learned some very interesting concepts about how sound vibrations are heard by the ear, and how sound travels through air vs water. Breaking down a sound wave and analyzing a decibel scale, sounds have numerous components. I then translated my interpretation of the sounds a Gatorade bottle creates when hit in different locations and different materials by describing the qualities and properties. After breaking down the sounds, I visually expressed the sounds through prismastick and ink as well as color swatches to represent the emotions I believe the sounds exuded.
Sound Exploration Components:
- Hit on bottle cap & side of bottle (w pen)
- Stroke (fingertips)
- Tap (nails)
- Drop (on table)
- Spin (on table)
Here is a video of the sounds (although they are not as vivid in the recording, especially the stroking motion): https://vimeo.com/507830252
02.07.2021: Day 2 — Initial Individual Interpretations of our Music & Instrument Research
Assigned a particular music excerpt to analyze within groups, at first we struggled to categorize our sounds. We initially considered separating the music chronologically or by the style of the music, distinguishing hard/soft pitches or types of instruments.
My Initial Translation of the whole song
Our song contained very distinct surprising noises. I began with researching potential categorizations of the sound as well as how myriad instruments create sounds. I was intrigued to understand the subtleties between wind, string, and percussion instruments in their capability to make vastly different noises based on the flow of the air particles.
My first impression of the first section of the music was that it was very audible, abrupt, sudden with an ominous tone, interrupted, long-lasting, deep- low note and pitch likened to the sounds of a heavy drum. I portrayed each section in ink and prismastick, and felt that this part was better represented in the vivid and strong black ink, abruptly fading outwards. However, the second section was completely different with a piercing sharp segment, ending with a crash with a high pitch and frequency, reminiscent of the triangle instrument. More details about my interpretations for each of the sections of the music are in the spread below:
Component Breakdown translation
Diving deeper into translating each of these distinct noises, these are some rough experimentations without any thoughts to composition yet. I chose to represent the sounds in ink because it better attests to the flowy yet uncontrollable and ominous underlying tone of this music.
Collaborative Translations
Meeting with Jiyeon and Emily, we decided to try some initial collaborative interpretations of our sound. After discussing the qualities and attributes we wanted to portray with our drawing as well as considering the hierarchy and values of the piece, we dove into 3 iterations done in ink and prismastick.
02.08.2021: Day 3 — Further Exploration & Collaboration
Brief Notes from class
Further Analysis of my decisions
Researching more into the instrument that creates my particular sound, I created this one page of further translation.
Exploration — Expressing different Iterations and Ideas
Not fixating on any particular idea, I tried to be as broad as possible, exploring different shapes, techniques, and values for the marks to represent the music.
Analyzing these interpretations
I broke down each of my interpretations, drawing out particular things I liked and didn’t quite think were accurate with the sounds.
02.10.2021: Day 3 — In Class Work
Insights for the Next Iterations
- Have the first dark dense mark bleed into the second section
- Third section has discrete circular components to represent the tapping
- Radial design is synonymous with the flow/cycle of music
- The design is interpreted similarly in different directions/ no correct orientations
- Ink represents the character of the piece more accurately
- First mark could flow uncontrollably w blowing the ink while the third is more consistent
- Assymetrical design
- Layering to show the passage of time throughout the music
- Composition, how the drawing fills the page
- Consider the values of the different sections and the hierarchies
Questions to consider
- How do we represent the interruptive, almost piercing character of the triangle “ding”?
- Does prismastick better represent the taps of the third section?
- How to blend the prisma + ink together well, but also keep them distinct
- Color?
02.14.2021: Day 3 — Collaborative Translations
Exploring composition and interpretations through Photoshop
Draw from our individual translations of segments of the music, Collaborate on which translations work together well, Decide on hierarchy and values, Create various compositions through arranging and editing layers on photoshop
Criteria:
- Ensure that each of our parts has its own identity but also blends together cohesively
- Appropriate use of mediums to describe the distinct sounds
- Recognizability — People can easily associate the music to the marks we make to represent the song
- Consider the composition and values that we are using — maintain a hierarchy as well as aesthetic appeal
02.06.2021:Day 4 — Developing our final iteration
My final interpretation of my section:
Our music begins with a very abrupt, audible, almost ominous bang noise that is long-lasting and dissipates. I wanted to portray the roughness of this sound through the strong dark color — also representing the consistency of this noise. It is not very airy or grainy, rather dense and slightly complex, hence the single mark (all of the components connect). Near the end of the noise, there is a slight tapping beat, hence the large to small bumps in the design as it curves downward to indicate its end. I blew the ink to have it spread out unpredictably, to represent the unpredictable nature of the sound and how the loud bang dissipates in all different directions. The placement of the mark is at the top because it initializes the music at the very beginning. The curve indicates towards the beginning and the end of the noise and connects with the crash that occurs subsequently (section 2).
General Components:
- Radial design is synonymous with the flow/cycle of music
- The design is interpreted similarly in different directions/ no correct orientations
- Ink represents the character of some of the sounds more accurately as unpredictable and flowing
- First mark could flow uncontrollably w blowing the ink while the third is more consistent tapping hence the use of prismastick
- Assymetrical design — rather than perfect circles
- Layering to show the passage of time throughout the music
- Composition, how the drawing fills the page — certain components go off the page
- Consider the values of the different sections and the hierarchies — the bang is harsher while the taps near the end are airy and lighter
