Finished piece
What I Learned
The main thing I learned from this assignment was the basics of Ableton. How to add different types of files, add effects to them, layer them together, etc. Other things I learned about were the importance and benefits of layering sound to create a new sound, Improving storytelling, and panning audio/separating audio to either headphone and how it can create an experience for the listener
By layer the different sound effects and audios I was able to create something unique and great. I really learnt this by layer effects like echo and EQ8 filters to make the pig sounds and monkey cries sound like evil spirits trying to break through to our realm. Also by layering background music with the fire for ambience, it really sold that you were in an old Irish home. I wouldn't have thought to do it before
Another thing I learnt was how to tell a story in a new way. I usually do it with visuals and script, audio and building a soundscape was new for me but really helped me to think about in the future how I could sell my visual work through sounds.
Lastly, I learnt how to play with where sound is coming from and the panning of audio. not only did I learn it from a technique and software, but how it can help with storytelling and immersion. When I listened to the audio myself I could tell what was good and what was bad by where the audio was coming from. I was able to feel like the spirits were around me and in the room with me. I will definitely being using this again.
Creative Research
Soundscapes Research:
I first did research into different soundscapes and
I really struggled to find different soundscapes. The ones I found through my research were all very calming and had soft piano/nature sounds. Here are some soundscapes I found throughout my research:
During my research I found this website that allows you to create soundscapes, it was called Soundscape.world I used this to figure out a sound that I liked. The screen recording to the left is the soundscape that I made that made and enjoyed the most. The tempo was 120 beats per min which I liked as it made me feel like I was at a good tempo and somewhere between relaxing and motivated
Idea Research:
I did some brainstorming into ideas for soundscapes themes I would like to do. I decided to go with using memories I had because I felt I could emulate the emotions I feel at those times through music/audio would be really interesting as well as having a very good understanding of the story as I experienced it myself
I decided to go with the idea of a traditional Halloween night (known as Samhain in Ireland) as I felt I could have a lot of elements including traditional Irish music, really cool natural sounds, and make some interesting mystical sounds for the spirits of loved ones who passed. It would also be very easy to loop and the holiday holds a very special place in my heart as it is an important holiday in my home country, Ireland
Developing Story:
I started to consider the elements of a traditional Samhain. What actually happens?
- We set up extra places for the souls of our loved ones so they can eat with us and not be hungry after their long journey
- We light a candle in the window to help guide the spirits home
- We say prayers and sing songs
- When leaving our homes, we disguise ourselves as spirits so that the evil spirits won't see us as human and haunt us
I also did research into imagery and the image to the left helped inspire me with some of the audios I should include
I decided to do the story as someone setting up the table to eat, sitting down, lighting a candle, and saying a prayer. As they say the prayer the spirits of their loved ones come back to the living realm and have to fight with the bad spirits to get through. Once they get through, the person cleans up the plates and such and blows out the candle as
Editing Process
List of Audios:
These are the audios I needed to collect:
- Walking through leaves ✅
- Wind ✅
- Door creaking ✅
- Moans ✅
- Prayers ✅
- Traditional Irish Music ✅
- Walking on pavement ✅
- Human cries ✅
- Fire crackling ✅
- Lighting Candle ✅
- Setting a plate for the spirit of a loved one ✅
Composing the Soundscape:
To the right are some examples of the audio I collected, had previously, and used from the BBC Sound Effect website.
I started by collecting the audios listed above. I had already from previous Halloweens, spending time watching traditional Irish music being performed and general audios I have gathered in my personal collection that I created at my university in Ireland. I also started collecting the other audios including wind from my bedroom window, people walking on the pavement, creaking of doors and some exciting sounds I've heard while in Utrecht City Center.
I recorded the sounds in Utrecht City Center using a ZOOM H1 Handy Recorder. For some recordings, I added an external RODE personal microphone to get the mic closer and more focused on the audio. I recorded people walking on the pavement, sounds of leaves rustling, etc.
I also asked family members and friends in Ireland to record themselves saying the Samhain Ancestor Prayer. I had 4 audios collected and decided to use the audios of my mother and my friend Caoimhe as I felt they constructed against each other really well while also working together nicely.
Here is the first draft of the soundscape I made
After some feedback from Nathanael, I decided I wanted to add the evil spirits into the audio as well as the ancestor ones. For the sounds of the demons, I used sounds from the BBC Sound Effects Archives. I wanted noises that were not very recognisable but if effects were added would create a very eerie and haunting sound. Like evil spirits coming trying to break through to the living realm and haunt the person.
To make these audios sound how I wanted them I added an echo, EQ eight, and channel EQ filter. By using EQ eight, I was able to focus on the sounds I wanted to include from the audio I was able to focus on what sounds I wanted and how I wanted to use this. An example of this was how I used it to make the music sound like it was coming from a radio. The EQ channel also helped with this as I was able to change the pitch of the sounds using this
I really utilised the echo filter in Ableton for this project. I felt it really brought out the eerie feel to the sounds and sell the idea that these sounds are far away in another realm. I also played with the panning in this setting. As you can see from the images on the right, the audio for the bad spirits where more audible on the left, whereas are the ancestor was more audible on the right. I did this to help with the differentiation between both spirit types and help introduce the ancestor in a revealing way.
I also used this youtube video to help me with creating fading in and out at the beginning and end so that the transitions would be more smooth
