Autogenous Mining in Chicago

Composer Michael Wittgraf‘s Autogenous Mining for four double basses and Kyma will be premiered by the Chicago Bass Ensemble February 3rd 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at the Experimental Sound Studio 5925 North Ravenswood, Chicago and reprised on February 5th in Bennett-Gordon Hall at Ravinia as part of the Chicago Bass Festival in Highland Park, Illinois.  On February 5th at 2 pm, the Chicago Brass Ensemble will be joined by Mike Wittgraf and several other composers for a demonstration and Q&A on the subject of contemporary music for bass ensemble.

Autogenous Mining is a seven-minute work for four double bassists and a computer operator using Kyma X. The work exploits the size and weight of double bass strings, which afford an enormous variety of timbres and dynamics. The performers are asked to “mine” their own strings for all the sound that they can find. The computer assists this task by finding even more sounds. Autogenous Mining is about listening, reacting, and forging new paths in order to maximize the amount and variety of sounds extracted from the ore in the strings.

All four double basses are mic’d and fed through Kyma for manipulation. The resulting interactive output is broadcast to the audience over quadraphonic speakers.

 

Interview with sound designer Sylvain Lasseur

Sound designer Sylvain Lasseur is not just bi-coastal; he’s bi-contintental, working part time in Paris and part time in Los Angeles!  We recently had a chance to ask him a few questions about how he uses Kyma for 5.1 sound design and to explore some of the differences between post production work in Paris and Los Angeles.  By the end of the interview, the discussion turns to food, wine, and the Marx Brothers.  Read on!

SSC: Sylvain, you’re currently based both in Los Angeles and Paris.  How do you split your time between the two?  (e.g. is it summers in LA and winters in Paris? Or does it depend on which project you’re working on?)

SL: In fact, it depends on the projects. The ideal thing would be to spend winters in LA and summers in Paris, but that’s just a question of weather and has nothing to do with sound!

 SSC: You graduated from the Louis Lumiére Cinema School in France.  How did  you decide to attend that school?  Have you been interested in cinema since you were a child?  Were you always interested in sound design?

SL: I’ve been interested in sound since the age of about twelve years old. I learned to play the piano and I had a Uher portable tape recorder to record sound for slideshows, to record music, etc…   The next natural step was to study at a school where I could learn about sound.  During my studies, my interest in cinema began to grow and it finally took over.

SSC: What are some of the movies that most inspired you to pursue your profession?

 SL: The first three Star Wars and The Right Stuff convinced me to embrace the profession of Sound Editor and Sound Designer even though, in France, at that time, “Sound Design” was a very hazy notion. More recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and No Country for Old Men inspired me to continue to progress in my profession.

 SSC: You’ve made a specialty of designing sounds for 5.1 surround.  Do you conceive of the sounds with surround in mind from the outset?

SL: In fact, I begin each movie by asking myself, “What sounds would serve the movie and enhance the story being told?” –this before even considering the use of surround.

Some movies need a lot of surround and others just a little bit.  For that reason my  Kyma modules are ready for 5.1, giving me the tools to do as much or as little as is needed.  But if there is a recurrent sound in the movie,  I often design the sound first and then I apply a process to put it into surround on each recurrence, as necessary.

SSC: Do you place independent material in the surrounds?  Or processed versions of the other channels?

SL: I have no specific recipe for that either. With ambience or atmosphere, it can be interesting to place independent material in the surround.   It’s also very interesting to use a processed version of the stereo channels (granulated, pitched, delayed….) in the surround. Here again, it depends on the movie. The director and the story guide you.

SSC: In your opinion, what is the most powerful use for surround sound? 

SL: Surround sound creates and defines the visual space in a film, creating a third dimension. It gives you the opportunity to shrink or enlarge the visual space through audio. It’s also very powerful for sound fx such as spaceships passing by…

SSC: Is there such a thing as “the Hollywood sound”?  Similarly, do French films have a particular “sound”?  If your eyes are closed, can you sometimes tell where a film was made just by the sound, even before the first word of dialog is heard?

SL: In general, French movies are more intimate and American movies are more spectacular (even with your eyes closed)!  The “music” of the French language, (pronunciation, tone, tonic syllable emphasis), and the English language are very different.  It seems to me that there is more flexibility when mixing English dialogue than French dialogue.   The dynamic, the spectrum, the use of the bass and the use of the surround are different from language to language.  I’ve never tried, but if I closed my eyes I would probably be able to hear the difference between a French or an American sound track.

 SSC: Is there a difference in the way post production is done in US films and French films Or does this vary more from film to film than it does from country to country?

 SL: I would say that the big difference is the budget. You just have to compare the sound crew of a French movie and an American movie to see the difference. In France, most of the time I am alone or with an assistant to edit and design the sound for a feature film, usually with less time than for an American film.

In America, a sound crew is composed of a Sound Supervisor, a Sound Designer and multiple Sound Editors.  That makes a huge difference!  In America, each person’s work is more specialized, the time is longer and the budgets are bigger…  which changes everything about the way the work is done.

Of course, this process varies from film to film depending on the film and the budget.  That said, most of the time, the needs of a French movie are not the same as an American movie.

SSC: Can you describe your working process with director Catherine Breillat?

 SL: I have done five movies with Catherine Breillat, so we have built up a very confident relationship.  She begins by explaining to me what her movie needs, then I work on it for a while.  Periodically she comes to my studio to listen to my “work in progress”. She tells me what she likes and doesn’t like, I make the appropriate adjustments, and so forth. Before the mix, she has heard and approved all the sound editing and the sound design.  She is very specific about what she wants.

 SSC: Were you able to utilize Kyma on The Last Mistress?

SL: Yes, I used Kyma for atmosphere, wind and sound effects.

SSC: You sometimes control your Kyma sounds with the pitch and level of your voice.  Can you compare this to using a  fader or other controller?

 SL: I have to say that I was a singer in a band for a while. I feel comfortable using my voice and find it more intuitive and immediate that way. I also find that it’s more alive and organic, especially when I manipulate animal sounds. When I do this, sync to picture, I find good intonations and accents more quickly than with a fader or other controller.

SSC: Can you point us to a particular scene in one of your films where we can listen for Kyma?

SL:  I can think of a couple of examples where I used two really different approaches:

Chrysalis for the sound fx, especially at the beginning of the movie and

The Trail (La Piste) for the wind in the desert, especially at the end of the movie when there is a wind storm.

 

SSC: What advice would you give to a sound designer who is just starting to learn Kyma?

SL: Kyma is like a language. You have to learn the vocabulary and the grammar before you can express yourself and become fluent. So, read the manuals (a few times), be patient, persevere and don’t forget to break the rules…

Kyma is so modular and flexible, it’s like an open invitation to create. The possibilities are endless…  It’s just a question of language!

SSC: Do you have a set of “tools” that you’ve created for yourself in Kyma that you come back to whenever you are working on a film?

SL: Yes, I have a set of tools that I’ve created for myself, all oriented 5.1. Most of the time, I come back to this set of tools, but I continue to create new “sentences” all the time, when I have an idea (and time to do it).

SSC: Can you reflect on your “process” for creating new effects in Kyma?  Do you start with your favorite Sounds and modify them?  Do you look through the Sound Library?  Or is it different every time?

 SL: In fact, it’s different every time. I can start with a sound, modify it, or take just a part of the sound to add it to an another sound or part of an another sound. Sometimes, I start with nothing and I build the “sentence” I want. Sometimes, I look through the Sound Library, which is a gold mine of inspiration.

(NB., You can hear more of Sylvain’s Kyma sound design work on his web site.)

SSC: Have you ever intentionally left a scene completely silent?

SL: I have no recollection of having left a scene completely silent, but almost silent, yes! Silence and nuances contribute to the dynamic. I can’t imagine listening to a philharmonic orchestra playing a symphony forte, with no silence, for an hour and a half. It would be unbearable!  For me, two perfect examples of the judicious use of silence, juxtaposed with “interesting” sound are: No Country For Old Men and Mulholland Drive.  Very inspiring.

SSC: Describe your ideal meal ((who would be there, what is on the menu, where is it, what does the table look like, etc)

 SL:

FADE IN: Ext.:  North rim of the Grand Canyon on a beautiful summer day, before sunset….

A table is dressed on two interlaced grand Steinway pianos on the edge of the North rim. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Herbie Hancock are playing a free adaptation of the “Sound of Silence”.

Superimposed, scroll the credits in alphabetical order:

Ethan and Joel Coen…… The Directors

Albert Einstein…. Relatively as Himself

Herbie Hancock…. As Himself

Nelson Mandela…. As Himself

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart… As Himself

My Wife… As My Wife

Me…     As Her Husband

And:

The Marx Bros… As The Waiters

CLOSE UP: On the Menu

Appetizer:  French Oysters served on the half shell

accompanied by grilled lobster tails

Wine: 1959 White Mersault, Premier Cru

Main Course:  Roast Venison, sauce Grand Veneur

accompanied by a fricassé of wild   French mushrooms

Wine: 1961 Chateau Margaux

Followed by:   Arugula & Warm Chèvre

As you may have noticed, women are woefully lacking at this meal, so I decided to include them for dessert!

Invited are:

Lucille Ball….. As Lucy Ricardo

Coco Chanel…. As Herself

Rita Hayworth… As The Beautiful Woman

George Sand…. As Herself

Meryl Streep….. As Julia Child

Dessert:     The most fabulous chocolate cake in   the world (or any dessert, as long as it’s   chocolate!)

Digestifs:   Aged Amber Rum, Poire Williams,   Mirabelle….

(and cigars for the Marx Bros.)

And may the party continue until dawn….

….. or we could just order in pizza!

SSC: Thank you, Sylvain!  I think it’s time for all of us to order out for pizza and watch your show reel on line!

 

Disney Film Features Speech to Wolf Howl by JED Sound

During the final mix for Disney’s Treasure Buddies, director Robert Vince asked sound designers Pat Haskill and Jean-Edouard Miclot to morph the voice of a puppy named Mudbud (voiced by Ty Panitz) from a human voice to the howl of a real puppy.  After a frantic and ultimately unsuccessful search of their sound libraries for a domestic puppy howl, the sound designers finally located a recording of a wolf pup that sounded close to Mudbud’s speaking voice, and they cross-faded from the actor to the wolf howl.  Unfortunately, the result still sounded like two independent layers. That’s when Jean-Edouard had the idea to load the two samples into Kyma’s Time Alignment Utility (TAU) where he could experiment with morphing using a tablet until he got the smooth transition he wanted. Re-recording mixers Gord Hillier and Samuel Lehmer mixed the sound in and, according to Jean-Edouard, “everybody in the studio loved how natural the transition from human to animal was made.” You can hear the morph in the scene starting about 36″ into the following clip:

Kyma International Sound Symposium 2012

The Kyma International Sound Symposium is  four inspiring days and nights filled with sound design, ideas, discussions, and music, and it offers a wide range of opportunities to increase your Kyma mastery: from introductory master classes, to hands-on question-and-answer sessions; from thought-provoking presentations, to inspiring concerts and after-hours discussions with new-found friends and colleagues.

This year’s symposium KISS2012 will be on banks of the mighty Mississippi River, September 13-16, organized by St. Cloud State University School of the Arts and Symbolic Sound. The KISS2012 theme, reel time || real time, puts the spotlight on reel time (sound for picture), real time (live performance), and all timescales between, including sound design for games, live cinema, live improvisation ensembles, live performances from a score, sound design for live theatre, live signal generation for speech and hearing research, interactive data sonification, interactive sound art, and more!

A force of pure imagination

Electronica: Zlatko Tanodi, the new album of Croatian composer Zlatko Tanodi‘s highly imaginative electo-acoustic music has just been released under the Cantus label. Tanodi is a true musical eclectic; as adept at writing orchestral and chamber music as jazz and pop arrangements and scoring films, he tours internationally, performing keyboards with his jazz ensemble Opus X and also serves as the Head of the Department of Composition and Theory at the Zagreb Academy of Music. All of these experiences are evident in the music on this disc which slips easily from the classical avant-garde to a cinematic dramaturgy worthy of a Hollywood space fantasy and even includes brief snatches of DnB. Throughout, Tanodi has woven a surprising and delightful thread of pure sound design and a fascination with the human voice (both speaking and singing). Even more impressive than Tanodi’s masterful command of an astonishing variety of musical styles, though, is the force of his unspoiled, almost child-like imagination. Sounds transform themselves in a seemingly inevitable way from operatic diva to demonic baby; string quartets, frogs, and abstract sine wave modulations receive equal amounts of loving attention to detail and craftsmanship.

For a little foretaste of the sonic delights you’ll enjoy in the full album, check out Tanodi’s introduction to his contributions to the Recombinant Art compilation, produced by Edmund Eagan. Electronica is a must-hear for anyone who enjoys the pure physical pleasure of being immersed in sound and music and is eager to be transported to another world, at least for the duration of this CD. You can order the full album from the Cantus web site (100 HRK is approximately USD17).

Tonsalon

According to Wikipedia:

A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation.

Composer Bruno Liberda is your inspiring host for a modern day Tonsalon to be held in Vienna on Wednesday evening, 7 December 2011. Focusing primarily on one work, through repeated “Readings”  (Listening, Looking, Learning, Asking questions = Pausing), time is accumulated in all dimensions; several episodes of individual perceptions merge into a star cluster of the now-plurality: a new piece of music systematically enters the consciousness of the guests.

Program

 Introduction:   Die Schläfer 2002, fixed Media, 5’14
 
 Main work:     Self portrait without self, 2011, Zither, Voice, Kyma, ca. 13′
 
 The composer speaks… and plays…the guests question (perhaps)
 
Coda: Echoes in people’s minds: everyone speaks with everyone else!
 
 

 When: Wednesday, 7 December at 20h (Doors open at 19h40, ending at 22h)

Where:1060, Linke Wienzeile 36/5a

Beletage (1. Stock, Reichmayer)
Vienna, Austria 

Flowering of Resistance

Post-human investigator Steven T. Brown‘s new video, Flowering of Resistance, pays tribute to thinkers throughout history who have had the courage to shake things up.

In it, you can hear how he uses Kyma to generate a slowly ‘flowering’ timbre, beautifully shaken up and interrupted with stutter effects to match the shaken images.  Selected for inclusion in the (sub)Urban Projections Festival held in Eugene, Oregon on November 9-23, 2011, Brown dedicates this video to his fellow participants in the Occupy movement all over the world. He concludes with the reminder that:

The power to resist the status quo in a non-violent fashion is as important to the healthy functioning of a democracy as is the ability to forge consensus.

eImprovisationen: Eckard Vossas

Eckard Vossas is performing live at the Köln LOFT on the 24th of November 2011 20:30 on Kyma and Continuum, augmented by a variety of other synthesizers and controllers in a concert entitled eImprovisationen.

The focus of Vossas’ LOFT debut is spontaneous and free improvisation with live electronics, primarily the Kyma system with its enormous possibilities. Everything in the improvisation’s sound structures are controlled primarily by a Haken Continuum Fingerboard, complemented by an arsenal of additional controllers and pedals. The starting point of the individual pieces are randomly selected, found or ready-made preset sounds, generated or combined sound structures, or sound transformations whose sound characteristics can be changed drastically by a variety of live controllers.

A Ready-Made Sound becomes a primordial soup in a real-time evolving spectrum of sound events and timbres. Each performance explores the resulting musical space, playfully and experimentally dealing with the emerging structures of sound, as if a newly invented instrument were being discovered. The Continuum, which allows for musical ideas to be directly translated through the fingers into sound parameters, is particularly well suited to this expressive, evolutionary game.

Vossas has been making improvised music for 35 years, first with piano and keyboards, then with synthesizers. He has been exploring the universe of electronic sounds with the Kyma system since 2002.