Category Archives: Gallery

Assignment 3: Convolution

So this is a patch where I have tried to convolve different impulse responses with a recording of beatboxing that I obtained from freesound.com . The following is the link of the same on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/spandy-sharma/beatbox-original

For the impulse recordings, portable recorder was used and then the audio files were modified using audacity by normalizing, amplifying, converting and trimming wherever required. Since I feel that the sound quality changed while I attempted to record my screen, I am also pasting the patch in a compressed form below each screen recording.

1.

My first convolution was with an impulse response created by dropping a stack of heavy books in Hammerschlag Hall on a carpeted floor at late night. The original recording of the IR can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/spandy-sharma/booksoundhall-ir-1 . The outcome can be seen below. It gives a feeling of the beatboxing happening in a hallway which is what I aimed to achieve.

<pre><code>
———-begin_max5_patcher———-
1724.3oc6ZszaaiCD9bJP+OHniKbbIodWzC8vdo.cuzaKJJBnsosYWIQuRz1
IsXyu8cHonrjijihibB5h0EwVlOzn4ad8ww8mu8MW4NSbKqz048Ne04pq9IL
xU5wTibkcfqbyn2NOkVpWnaNauX12cmTMmjcqTO9BVJ8Nm.DpdJwVYJSJuaC
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oQHID7TzDGOh+zfINgdpuPHSQGDao7tT8Sjqqdj+4suQ8I7wjmMHT5Txjtcp
f3NTPLoGMDM.MLHTogdgWFMLkuiMcQgXS8S3NZQNMi0d1uh+V+1a2Ive8Xu6
DNZAnyEohBycRqvnoIQIAQIpqPAAjHP6wMU61PH4DPXrmu5Nh8MtGAZLLzu4
MKkshkadz9cPOc9zWbVyJX0OgKXyEKXYveG4QV.XjjUbCKmNKs8jkzcrE2Pk
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W+XK0iQXukguSF6ntlLCrDpIuNRYn6bATsWWX2Syy4RtJWPkWSM70ZUagUU6
h6OlmKHiUVRWw5npMS5fg+ATV+7DGy2HNsHvN3BcclGv+YVniP7pKzYIA+hk
h2vq+dMd3fQmhgWcP7on504Q16KS4.N9MIVS0CiBe0vkOewvE+y.WBHswE+W
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GrBg6vIh8DfmyIasggts8DgwZNUiO9.NA2MiVb5rN7b4SQc8Na00KxzLBSoo
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Uxx1HZwE1U0MUZNT3oP8DWc1iCSaS1ajPctSWKfmxxWIWWonPgpo.yNWHn8u
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s9psccZxFr7TjtgTDOh.iGM4o5m6iqfpdhNVJn+PTP6i0HHP+AYAGO4kLH44
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gNhAf3AIvvwCQQCVfiTN6AogiXMhgHttMfU07oa1riUTVsCij.VRe2zbhnIl
uyyMe2y78Bl5bxlsXX23RK.FIRfNx1BCGiaCq59ilYYQ9Vt8P0JcUIZMeji4
aTyNJ6NCeEitUyWtMfT2IE0Q2A0f0YS8a0Gkkh75dE..zeHxoyEMntMaUGsl
AdE4auJAezsb1J3HJo0aqEecKWR2UEzE7F+97W41PNnojDDNITIBOTRLx2bE
LzQBqZaX69hCvHcSih8IDeyUdHjOoysQZnVsdqwBgCJYnIRhZQcuPrQTTyZe
pWxgcrUJpUO0jOfZ9DqecArjF7PqFWe7+5c1NVn1gvbbw+joNjS8+Ko5wuPY
jK4+nxHigyfEjfPwGLYz4yY4xVVfXR.NRgeQw3XroObIA919vMlpxdUnhSlH
WTt4PWedk7wAm5XRhumoGjwAAQlqHD7QNQtrTV1wvVTLJAqcWiQHBN13K5gC
iOZycA4Cy48UL.aPI.ZGbA5.1KBo8fhIQgdFvAGCn7kLVyBVszZPpwDk7Iww
3JkN.64geld0pcBe7unNsvpG
———–end_max5_patcher———–
</code></pre>

2.

The second IR was created by a single, loud hit of a pair of scissors on a metal pan in the staircase of Hunt Library. The impulse response was trimmed using audacity. The original IR can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/spandy-sharma/metalpan-ir-2 and the outcome is attached below. This also created an interesting metallic kind of beat boxing.

<pre><code>
———-begin_max5_patcher———-
1724.3oc6ZszaaiCD9bJP+OHniKbbIodWzC8vdo.cuzaKJJBnsosYWIQuRz1
IsXyu8cHonrjijihibB5h0EwVlOzn4ad8ww8mu8MW4NSbKqz048Ne04pq9IL
xU5wTibkcfqbyn2NOkVpWnaNauX12cmTMmjcqTO9BVJ8Nm.DpdJwVYJSJuaC
yHA2Yz7UtNeyNe91LdNrB88kXGkuPe6.YbcraikZta50hsCugJmulmu5lB1b
oQHID7TzDGOh+zfINgdpuPHSQGDao7tT8Sjqqdj+4suQ8I7wjmMHT5Txjtcp
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MKkshkadz9cPOc9zWbVyJX0OgKXyEKXYveG4QV.XjjUbCKmNKs8jkzcrE2Pk
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h6OlmKHiUVRWw5npMS5fg+ATV+7DGy2HNsHvN3BcclGv+YVniP7pKzYIA+hk
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0V6Lh804EqwNUH3+Iary+2UmA3pkbFIrsgcW1t5zGLjsMUxmKx2IR2wtWW.6
GrBg6vIh8DfmyIasggts8DgwZNUiO9.NA2MiVb5rN7b4SQc8Na00KxzLBSoo
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F0rkxiwmJFZAaIEb5cam8zzctSk5bFsjOWBzLUpy6UmzxlHycoHMUreUpXFM
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JO.qGVcs7wjFzsc2vAPqumf+dKMkKuqqGBIGn+JKXvtqHf67smeR4W+dL+4t
5wL4bZx7.J52eLqYM598d7ODpVTpINBHKEaKlaQopemRmFBaAXu.GAqU9qG9
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OZxiLD4Mdpm2f7WFMwMnvAUSZGQ483pGZ7rdgCRfAiq.wCRf3wQf9urNnjg4
gNhAf3AIvvwCQQCVfiTN6AogiXMhgHttMfU07oa1riUTVsCij.VRe2zbhnIl
uyyMe2y78Bl5bxlsXX23RK.FIRfNx1BCGiaCq59ilYYQ9Vt8P0JcUIZMeji4
aTyNJ6NCeEitUyWtMfT2IE0Q2A0f0YS8a0Gkkh75dE..zeHxoyEMntMaUGsl
AdE4auJAezsb1J3HJo0aqEecKWR2UEzE7F+97W41PNnojDDNITIBOTRLx2bE
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pWxgcrUJpUO0jOfZ9DqecArjF7PqFWe7+5c1NVn1gvbbw+joNjS8+Ko5wuPY
jK4+nxHigyfEjfPwGLYz4yY4xVVfXR.NRgeQw3XroObIA919vMlpxdUnhSlH
WTt4PWedk7wAm5XRhumoGjwAAQlqHD7QNQtrTV1wvVTLJAqcWiQHBN13K5gC
iOZycA4Cy48UL.aPI.ZGbA5.1KBo8fhIQgdFvAGCn7kLVyBVszZPpwDk7Iww
3JkN.64geld0pcBe7unNsvpG
———–end_max5_patcher———–
</code></pre>

3.

The third IR was created by mixing a self produced imitation of the tune from the cup song “You’re Gonna Miss Me” by Lulu and the Lampshades. I slowed down the rate of the beat using audacity and normalized it a bit. I wanted to check out what would happen if one of the easiest beats was mixed with the beatboxing audio file and the result was somewhat weird. I would have called the convoluted signal noise except that if we really observe it, we can find a pattern which makes it seem like one of the machines with gears in the large factories that look somewhat like this:

The original IR can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/spandy-sharma/cupsong-slow-ir-3 and the outcome can be seen below:

<pre><code>
———-begin_max5_patcher———-
1724.3oc6ZszaaiCD9bJP+OHniKbbIodWzC8vdo.cuzaKJJBnsosYWIQuRz1
IsXyu8cHonrjijihibB5h0EwVlOzn4ad8ww8mu8MW4NSbKqz048Ne04pq9IL
xU5wTibkcfqbyn2NOkVpWnaNauX12cmTMmjcqTO9BVJ8Nm.DpdJwVYJSJuaC
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oQHID7TzDGOh+zfINgdpuPHSQGDao7tT8Sjqqdj+4suQ8I7wjmMHT5Txjtcp
f3NTPLoGMDM.MLHTogdgWFMLkuiMcQgXS8S3NZQNMi0d1uh+V+1a2Ive8Xu6
DNZAnyEohBycRqvnoIQIAQIpqPAAjHP6wMU61PH4DPXrmu5Nh8MtGAZLLzu4
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GrBg6vIh8DfmyIasggts8DgwZNUiO9.NA2MiVb5rN7b4SQc8Na00KxzLBSoo
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5wL4bZx7.J52eLqYM598d7ODpVTpINBHKEaKlaQopemRmFBaAXu.GAqU9qG9
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jK4+nxHigyfEjfPwGLYz4yY4xVVfXR.NRgeQw3XroObIA919vMlpxdUnhSlH
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iOZycA4Cy48UL.aPI.ZGbA5.1KBo8fhIQgdFvAGCn7kLVyBVszZPpwDk7Iww
3JkN.64geld0pcBe7unNsvpG
———–end_max5_patcher———–
</code></pre>

4.

At last, the final convoluted outcome was created by combining a song obtained from Freesound.com and our beatboxing audio file. The IR was normalized and trimmed at some places. The result gives a feeling of suspense. The original IR can be found at : https://soundcloud.com/spandy-sharma/orchestral-cartoon and the convoluted signal is given below:

<pre><code>
———-begin_max5_patcher———-
1724.3oc6ZszaaiCD9bJP+OHniKbbIodWzC8vdo.cuzaKJJBnsosYWIQuRz1
IsXyu8cHonrjijihibB5h0EwVlOzn4ad8ww8mu8MW4NSbKqz048Ne04pq9IL
xU5wTibkcfqbyn2NOkVpWnaNauX12cmTMmjcqTO9BVJ8Nm.DpdJwVYJSJuaC
yHA2Yz7UtNeyNe91LdNrB88kXGkuPe6.YbcraikZta50hsCugJmulmu5lB1b
oQHID7TzDGOh+zfINgdpuPHSQGDao7tT8Sjqqdj+4suQ8I7wjmMHT5Txjtcp
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MKkshkadz9cPOc9zWbVyJX0OgKXyEKXYveG4QV.XjjUbCKmNKs8jkzcrE2Pk
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h2vq+dMd3fQmhgWcP7on504Q16KS4.N9MIVS0CiBe0vkOewvE+y.WBHswE+W
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uyyMe2y78Bl5bxlsXX23RK.FIRfNx1BCGiaCq59ilYYQ9Vt8P0JcUIZMeji4
aTyNJ6NCeEitUyWtMfT2IE0Q2A0f0YS8a0Gkkh75dE..zeHxoyEMntMaUGsl
AdE4auJAezsb1J3HJo0aqEecKWR2UEzE7F+97W41PNnojDDNITIBOTRLx2bE
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pWxgcrUJpUO0jOfZ9DqecArjF7PqFWe7+5c1NVn1gvbbw+joNjS8+Ko5wuPY
jK4+nxHigyfEjfPwGLYz4yY4xVVfXR.NRgeQw3XroObIA919vMlpxdUnhSlH
WTt4PWedk7wAm5XRhumoGjwAAQlqHD7QNQtrTV1wvVTLJAqcWiQHBN13K5gC
iOZycA4Cy48UL.aPI.ZGbA5.1KBo8fhIQgdFvAGCn7kLVyBVszZPpwDk7Iww
3JkN.64geld0pcBe7unNsvpG
———–end_max5_patcher———–
</code></pre>

 

 

Hi guys!!

My patch is a really simple one and may not display wide variety of techniques but I am still proud of it. I joined the course late and was feeling like I was lagging behind which made me see myself in somewhat a negative way. Coming to CMU was already a big step because the past few months were pretty difficult and CMU symbolized a new beginning. Music (by artists like Bruno Mars and One Republic) was of great help in cheering me up and helping me move forward. This patch is a very simple combination of all these factors. I’m determined to improve myself and make a better one next time 🙂 .

Best,

Spandy

Fun and Betterment

<pre><code>
———-begin_max5_patcher———-
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</code></pre>

I am sitting in a system

01 lucier sitting

In this well-known piece Alvin Lucier elegantly demonstrates that any acoustic space is a system that processes sound.  In a room, sounds bounce off walls, ceilings, floors, and other reflective surfaces, producing standing waves.  These waves add harmonics and reverberation to the original sound.  The frequency of the added harmonics depends upon the distance that the sound waves travel between the various reflective surfaces (amongst other factors).  In many rooms the added harmonics and reverberations are so subtle that they go unnoticed – we don’t think of sounds in a room as being processed.  But in this piece Lucier reveals these subtle transformations in a very dramatic way.

In I am Sitting in a Room, the composer reads a text aloud whilst using a microphone to record his voice.  The recording is then played back in the room, and the microphone now records the sound of the playback occurring in the room.  This second recording has now gone through the room twice (once during the original reading and again during the playback), and the harmonics and reverberations from the room are accumulating.  The second recording is then played back and re-recorded, and the process repeats over and over.  With each iteration of the process more and more reverberation and harmonics accumulate, until eventually the composer’s voice is an unintelligible blur of gorgeous room-o-licious tone-clouds.  Glorious!

This piece also demonstrates the use of feedback in a system, but on a time-scale that is larger than what we might expect.  Feedback is used in filters and echo systems to produce effects that are immediately noticeable.  In this piece, the feedback accumulation is rather slow (with one cycle of the system feeding back once every 90 seconds or so), allowing us to hear the subtle transformation of each feedback cycle with much more detail.

In fact, I would say this piece is a prime example of feedback art.  Aside from generating the original source signal (the composer reading a text), the only procedure that is used in the work is to present the output of a system back to the input stage of that same system.

feedback

Here is a live performance of the piece:

And here is an interesting homage called “I am Sitting in a Video Room”:

This piece also demonstrates the slow accumulation of feedback through a system.  In this case the system is not an acoustic space, but is Youtube.  A video is uploaded to Youtube, resulting in compression artifacts, little glitches in the sound and image, that are usually not noticeable.  The Youtube video is then downloaded and re-uploaded, resulting in a second iteration of artifacts.  The process repeats and the artifacts accumulate until the images and sounds in the video are a computery scrambled-up nightmare.  Terrifying!

And then there’s this:

Mind = Blown.

While not a direct reference to Lucier’s piece, Search by Image, Recursively, Transparent PNG, #1 by Sebastian Schmieg is another great example of feedback art.  The artist starts off by uploading a blank image to Google’s search-for-similar-images service.  The first hit that results is then presented back to Google and a similar-image search is performed on that image.  Each iteration of the system produces an image that is slightly different from the last one*, creating a slowly transforming visual landscape.

  • This feedback system could have resulted in a recursive loop rather than the linear progression we see in the video.  If a similar-image search for image A produces image B, it makes sense that a similar-image search for image B would produce image A.  This would create a video that just goes A-B-A-B-A-B-A… To avoid this the artist skipped search results that had already been used in the video, choosing the next-most-similar image beyond the already-seen image.