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| 19/2/15: word count 3644<br>
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| Essay Outline [Henk-Jelle de Groot]<br>
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| [Title]
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| <br>
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| Space as an object
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| <br>
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| Material Sound
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| <br>
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| <br>
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| .0 Intro
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| <br>
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| The essay will be a one on one reflection of my graduation work. Starting with the early processes and experimentation till the completion of the work and self-reflection on the process and findings within the graduation research. They aim of this essay is to accompany my work process as a method to help reflect on the graduation project. The reader will gain knowledge of the process and related subjects.
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| <br>
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| .1 Engagement
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| With this project I’m aiming to surprise the viewer with a new perception of a space, and to connect the viewer to the space in a different way. The idea of engaging the viewer with the space comes from the idea that there are acoustics properties that you might not be aware of. Through this properties of a space I can visualize my research and let the viewer be engaged and connect to the space in different way
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| <br>
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| Some of the subject matter on impulse response is hard to grab. I could choose to leave the technical explanation out, this in case that the work is strong enough and doesn't need any technical details to explain the work. What I need to tell in a technical aspect is defined by the outcome of my research.
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| .2 Research & Experiments<br>
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| My research focuses on what possibilities sonology & impulse response can offer for the development of sculptures, and how they can give a different awareness of places and spaces. My sculptures will give the viewer an object to look at. And make the viewer aware of their presence in the sculpture and space. Through this sculpture a different awareness of spaces and their acoustics properties is created.
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| Impulse response.
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| The idea behind an Impulse Response (IR for short) is that a frequency sweep is played in a certain space. A frequency sweep is a sweep at a constant decibel level ranging from low frequencies to high frequencies. With using this method we are sure that every possible frequency is played in that space and it will give us a clear data set of the reflective properties of that space.<br><br>
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| My IR setup works the same but is only played once. The frequency sweep is played back in a space and is recorded through a microphone. The recording is put through a convolution algorithm where the acoustic data is captured and calculated. What happens through this process is that the original sound is “deducted” from the recorded sound, what are left is the frequencies that amplify or extinguish themselves within that particular space. The IR method has many appliances. In my own practice I use the IR method to give certain sound or dialogue a reverberant character. Imagine a sound score that consist of sounds recorded in “dry” rooms that have no reflection. These sounds are like blank canvases that can be enhanced by applying a reverberation process. These reverberations that I use are all produced through IR processes. These reverberation characteristics can put “dry” dialogue in a car “environment” through the use of impulse responses.
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| An example if this method is the famous experiment I’m sitting in a room (1969) by composer Alvin Lucier. By recording a sentence spoken by Lucier and playing it back multiple times within a room. Lucier captured the acoustic properties in that room like an IR. After playing back and recording this sentence multiple times a garbled recording is left with vague sounds that contain only frequencies that reflect the best within that room.<br><br>
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| Below are the basic sound examples of a Impulse Response technique.<br>
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| A clean sweep to play - [[http://www.audiocheck.net/Audio/audiocheck.net_sweep20-20klog.mp3 A sine sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz]]<br>
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| A sine sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz recorded trough a microphone in a room - [[File:R1.ogg]]<br>
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| Impulse Response through deconvolution method - [[File:Jar_Response.ogg]]<br>
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| These pictures show a representation of an impulse response. The way in witch the impulse response is shown is called a waterfall diagram.<br>
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| <br>
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| <center>
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| <gallery>
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| File:ReverbWaterfall_1.png|Waterfall diagram of a Impulse response from a kitchen (measured in dB and Frequency)
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| File:ReverbWaterfall_2.png|Waterfall diagram of a Impulse response from an auditorium (measured in dB and Frequency)
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| </gallery>
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| </center>
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| <br>
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| .3 Initial Trials / Experiments
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| <br>
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| I started by setting up speakers in a 90 degree order with a microphone in between. This system, if mirrored and pointed to the opposite side of the room, can provide me with 4 impulse responses, 1 for each speaker repeated once. I found out that when I put the outcome of these four measurements trough my visualization workflow, that the amount of measurements was not enough to give a detailed model of the room. So I quickly abandoned my 2 speaker setup with 4 measurements. And went for a single speaker setup with 8 measurements. More work to get the angle of the speaker right but much more information due to more measurements. The distance of the microphone to the speaker is equal to all measurements and gave some weird mic placements within the measurement technique. I decided to leave the room in the way as I found it and to not mess around with furniture between measurements.
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| <center>
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| <gallery>
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| File:IMG_8276.JPG|Initial setup
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| File:IMG 8278.JPG|Second setup
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| File:IMG_8279.JPG|Measurement 5 gave me some interesting microphone placement
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| File:IMG_8345.JPG|Keeping equal distance
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| </gallery>
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| </center>
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| These are the recordings and the 8 measurements of that particular space (room 2.9 wdka)<br>
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| [[Media:R1.ogg|Measurement 1]]<br>
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| [[Media:R2.ogg|Measurement 2]]<br>
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| [[Media:R3.ogg|Measurement 3]]<br>
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| [[Media:R4.ogg|Measurement 4]]<br>
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| [[Media:R5.ogg|Measurement 5]]<br>
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| [[Media:R6.ogg|Measurement 6]]<br>
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| [[Media:R7.ogg|Measurement 7]]<br>
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| [[Media:R8.ogg|Measurement 8]]<br>
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| From here the visualization research started. I looked at different ways to get a detailed curve out of the wave files, and the best way that worked for me was to import the audio in After Effects and apply the Wave Form filter to a solid and link the filter to my measurements. This gave me a tweak able visualization, where I could change the amount of points, lines, height and offset of the audio file. After I exported a Tiff image with the waveform, I imported the image in Adobe Illustrator to trace the image into a spline. With the spline of each measurement (8 total) I created a sphere like object in autodesk maya. This method if done with only 4 measurements gives a less detailed object to work with, this was the main reason to go from 4 measurements to 8.
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| <center><gallery>
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| File:Spline_From_Illustrator.png|Splines as exported from Illustrator
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| File:Maya_1.gif|Splines imported into Autodesk Maya and shaped in a spherical setup
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| File:Maya_2.gif|The gaps between the splines are now filled and the visualization is complete
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| </gallery>
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| </center>
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| Founding<br>
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| First thing that I found out is that a multiple speaker setup is quite hard to do, and makes thing unnecessary complex. The best way is to stick with multiple measurements trough the placement of 1 speaker and 1 microphone. I have measured on a horizontal level. After experiencing the horizontal method I question it may also be a good idea to go in height directions, moving the speakers up and directing outwards in a 360 degrees spherical angle.<br>
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| The moment the wave form is analysed with the After Effects method, the measurements will loose the 1:1 accuracy. From here on out the model is not scientific accurate anymore. How This influences my research and what it does to the project I have yet to determine.<br>
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| '''Next Step.'''<br>
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| With the first prototype made in a 3d shape, the next step is to put this model into the physical world. For my other prototype I have been experimenting with visualising impulse response through 3e printing (see below) <br>
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| I could do the same and find out what kind of shape I'll get. Some questions came out the feedback session and it seems good to research them:<br>
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| '''What role the location of the measurement has in the project?'''<br>
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| '''How can I connect the object to lets say a room and what does it mean?'''<br>
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| '''Could similar sounds like impulse responses been made on a certain place?'''<br>
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| <center>'''Second Prototype'''</center>
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| During the tryouts with the above method, I experimented with different spaces and setups. One that worked well and had interesting results was the impulse response from a glass jar.
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| The jar was placed under a microphone and a speaker was placed inside the jar. One measurement was take and visualised through the same process as above. Through the 3d process a flower like object was generated.<br>
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| With the nature of the sound in mind and the flower like shape that was developed through the process, I decided to print the object in 3d and put it back in its "origin".
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| <center>
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| <gallery>
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| File:FullSizeRender_(2).jpg|Glass Jar with speaker
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| File:IMG_8341.JPG|Print process
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| IMG_8340.JPG|Final Product
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| </gallery>
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| <br>
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| Continuation.
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| Through these experiments and trials I gained more direction in what is to become a "final" product.
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| The first experiment didn't give me the results I was looking for. The 8 measurements gave me a "dull" object that had no relation to the space or surroundings where the IR was taken. If I could transform the object in a physical way the object would come to complex and almost not recognizable as an acoustic reflection of a space. The second experiment was much more direct and simple in a way that it could convey a new awareness of an object or space.<br>
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| The Object.
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| This object derived from the precise measurement is now the focus of the project. This object should have to properties of explaining itself with little context and still be objective to the viewer. The sculpture that came out of this research is quite a “classic” sculpture, comparable with artist such as Starck and Brian Wilshire.
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| After the research and trials I tried to find a way to contextualize the sculptures. Within the talks with David we found out that the method I use to construct the sculptures is strong, both technical and visual. The next question is, what is the context? And in which way does it need to have context and is it an objective project instead of a project that is really informs the viewer of what they see. This has manifested itself in a research in materials and the connection of said materials to the sculpture. The earlier prototypes are made out of plastic, and had no particular meaning or link to the object the IR was taken from.<br>
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| My view on the sculpture is that the sculpture itself “reveals” the origin of the form and the material represents the presence of the viewer. The material is a direct link to the material the sculpture originated from.
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| The characteristics of what the jar is in sound reflections are captured within the object. The jar is made out of glass. So the next step was to find similar material to make the sculpture out to either have connection with the jar. I’m searching for materials that are reflective, like metal, glass, ceramics and other materials who can be polished to become reflective. When you have the measurement of the room the equipment and you are present in the room, so in some way you alter the room. It’s not really clean, because you’ve been there, the sound waves reflect on you and you make the measurement different than it could be. The presence alters the result. And if I make the sculpture out of a shiny object and the object is put back in the room and you are not there it is natural environment, let’s say a zero point. But as soon someone wants to look closer at the sculpture you distort the object because your reflection is giving within that object and you alter the same way you’ve done with.
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| This is one aspect that I find interesting. The idea to give the viewer a new engagement with space, I think this comes close to what I imagined. It’s a clever way to somehow engage and incorporate the audience in the sculpture. When you look at the sculpture I‘ve engaged you in altering my sculpture in the same way as the origin of the sculpture.
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| I think my personal breakthrough. No matter what happens in these next months/years is that within the state of mind that i’m normally in working also towards an end product, like i do daily in my studio, it’s not, if you want to be really creative or different, you have to look more carefully to every step you’re making and don’t be fixed on the end point. That is like maybe for some people, they already knew this, but for me it is quit revelation.
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| Bibliography:<br><br>
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| Research<br>
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| [http://www.audioease.com/Pages/Altiverb/sampling.php Impulse Response as explained by AudioEase]<br>
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| [http://books.google.nl/books/about/Sound_Design.html?id=iGt70tqyWGwC&redir_esc=y Sound Design by David Sonnenschein]<br>
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| [http://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_sinesweep20-20k.php Audio Check Test Tones]<br><br>
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| Similair Work<br>
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| [http://notnot.home.xs4all.nl/solidspaces/solidspaces.html Driessen & Verstappen Solid Spaces]<br><br>
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| Technical Tools<br>
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| [http://www.autodeskt.com Maya 3d software]<br>
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| [http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ Paper Mockup Software Pepakura]<br>
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| [ ''' S: task for next time:
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| edit this text; transcribe today's recording; describe whiteread, Neuman and other artists dealing with similar issues]
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| '''
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