Comet Tail – Spatialization

This brief presented somewhat of a challenge for me, maneuvering through the obstacles presented in front of me set me back quite a bit in terms of completing this project. This project has moved through many different phases and graduated into a few different outcomes until I reached my “final draft”. Coming back into full in-person class and still moving through a full-blown pandemic took a lot of adjusting, which I believe is reflected in my work. Originally, I put together an idea to create a performance piece, working with healing frequencies, like Soffreggio scales, as the foundation of my concept was formed around the Augsberg Book of Miracles. From this, I have researched various methodologies of sonic healing throughout history. Theorized by Benedictine monk and music theorist, Guido D’Arezzo, the Solfeggio scales are traced back to Biblical times, the Solfeggio scales use a diverse array of frequencies to target both physical and spiritual purposes. For example; four-hundred-seventeen hertz removes negativity from the body and the home, and seven-hundred-forty-one hertz purges toxins from the body, among many others. With this, I aimed to paint a picture of comets flying through the sky but strictly visualized through sound, using specific frequencies to intertwine the two ideas. In executing this idea, I started designing in binaural, instead of truly understanding the works of an octophonic project, which set me back quite a bit. In the first draft, I used a recording I collected from the Fourth of July with my family, which I thought aligned conceptually with my concept. The recording of a festive night, looking up at fireworks bursting in the sky felt parallel to this vision I had of looking into the sky at a miracle flying by, so I began to work with it. The sound of the comets passing from output to output is subliminally layered with these frequencies. Another detail I tried to focus on was the “comet tails” I was visualizing for the sound, to parallel this, I emphasized the reverb tails of these sounds. Designing them to sound like they were soaring across the sky. I took samples of fireworks from the recording I collected and used those as a detail to create these sounds. In short, I wanted to recreate this moment from the Fourth of July and paint it in my vision inspired by the miracles illustrated in the book. Midway through my work, I came to a better understanding of the design of a piece for an eight-channel setup. Learning this, I began to pull apart my binaural piece and separate it into all eight channels. I found many challenges in executing this process myself, resulting in a vacant-sounding outcome. In falling behind on this submission, I attempted to cram new practices about eight-channel setups in too short of a period. The product that came from this was ultimately not up to par with what I had envisioned. I struggled too hard and spent too long trying to understand a multi-channel setup and ended up ruining the original file. I am submitting the final version of the original binaural file I created for this brief rather than the octophonic version. Though this did not result in a piece up to my standard of exploring spatialization, I did conclude with a better understanding of multi-channel projects and how I can maneuver and create within them. This came together as a six-channel piece that contains a range of recordings, synths, and layers of Solfeggio scales.

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Magnetic Minds (2015). Ancient Solfeggio Scale – All 9 Solfeggio Frequencies – Theta Binaural Beats – Meditation Music. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VatlLPsb_b8 [Accessed 31 Oct. 2021].

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