KLG 2017: Papers with Abstracts

Abstract. This paper explores the intersection between high-end technology for immersive media and conceptual sound installations using low-quality audios. It discusses the concept of fidelity in sound reproduction and traces how this concept relates to the subject of identity and self through the recorded voice. I analyse art projects that use low-quality audio to address issues of self and how these projects can help presenting an alternative understanding of experimental sound design for spatial audio. Finally, I explore the issue through my own artistic research called This Alienness and Me, where I investigate the feeling of “not belonging” through personal voice recordings made with a cellphone. In my project the audios were juxtaposed using Wave Field Synthesis to create an immersive environment.

Abstract. "Vision Kirchenmusik" is a project group to find new concepts for presenting church music. One of the most recent projects is the concert advertisement and preparation presenting the St. Luke Passion composed by Krzystof Penderecki. This contribution reports on the audio production carried out for a guided inner city walk presenting light art and sound installations. In particular, the binaural synthesis of reverb
using Higher Order Ambisonics is discussed.

Abstract. Following Zillmann’s Mood Management Theory, a main reason why people are watch- ing films is the drive to modify and regulate one’s mood by means of media entertainment [1]. And film is in this sense an effective medium: Narration, acting, visual design and sound design altogether contribute to its emotional impact. Accordingly, a main objective of film sound design is the communication and triggering of emotion or mood.
The paper investigates film sound design from the viewpoints of human perception, psychology and communication science. A special focus is set on the semantics of sound, communicated by means of crossmodal metaphors and symbols, on attention guiding and inattentional deafness, on the diegesis and on image / sound relationships.

Abstract. In this paper I discuss my process in composition with physical gesture while demonstrating examples from Simulacra Studies and from my recent work. In Simulacra Studies, the pianist-performer is present on stage with touch sensors and accelerometers attached to his hands without a visible piano in front of him. In this piece, I explore the drama of a missing piano interface while embodying physically the act of playing. There is a video component to the piece which initially establishes real- time correlation with the performer, only to become amplified, disjointed and broken into other narratives as the piece progresses. Throughout the piece, the physical gestural behaviour becomes magnified with mediatized video experiences of the pianist as a person playing with images of himself on himself as one does with gender, sexuality, power, fragility, superficiality, banality, etc.

Abstract. Tonmeisters tune the sound of music productions. Besides aspects like spectral bal- ance, loudness and dynamics, spaciousness plays an important role. Music of different genres tends towards different degrees of spaciousness due to generic aesthetic ideals and practical reasons. In this paper, we compare the degree of spaciousness as intended by the Tonmeister and perceived by the listener. 150 music excerpts from 5 different genres (electronica, classical, jazz, rock and ethno) are analyzed. The Tonmeister’s intention is derived from the literature and from analysis with a goniometer. The listeners perception is obtained from a listening test with 13 participants. The listening test revealed different adjectives for each genre relating to a spacious perception. We found that general rules as suggested in the literature are barely reflected in the goniometer results or the subjective impressions. Subjective impressions are largely contradictory.

Abstract. An audio feature can become relevant as a musical feature. This paper focuses on the “Sensory Dissonance” audio feature and its use as a musical parameter useful to analyze and compose music of all genres. It is possible by developing a software tool able to detect the presence of dissonance understood as Sensory Dissonance, to quantify the dissonance and then to draw a graphic function of the traced dissonance. This function is placed under the sound which it relates, while the music signal may be written according to the western notation system. The obtained curve does not only provide information concerning the degree of dissonance: it also allows a deeper reading of the entire analyzed musical work.

Abstract. This paper discusses ambisonic sound design for a theatrical production of King Lear. Sound, and its use in theatre, has taken a back-seat in comparison to the development of other theatre technologies such as lighting, projection and automation in recent years. Spatial audio implementations in theatre give the sound designer and the artistic team much greater scope for creativity, along with improvements in source separation and intelligibility of sources due to spatial unmasking. A 360 degree video was also recorded, with first and third order ambisonic binaural reproductions of the sound design stitched on to the video to create a virtual reality experience. The project was successful, whilst highlighting some practical and perceptual limitations in spatial audio for theatre.