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touch

December 18th, 2008 admin

Result of a quick exercise where we were challenged to create a visual representation of ‘touch’ [time restricted in-class project (25 minutes) ].

applet

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sound [space] sound - visualization / control application

December 17th, 2008 admin

This java application was developed to enhance the acoustic research myself and my collaborator Alberto Tafoya have been pursuing this semester. In short, we are trying to understand and control acoustic interference patterns.

This post will focus on the current state of the research application that was developed in Java and SuperCollider (real time audio synthesis environment).

The majority of our research has been conducted in less then ideal acoustic conditions, in spaces lacking symmetry among countless other contributors of error (windows, unstable temperature, reflective walls). These conditions make the task of accurately predicting the locations of acoustic phase cancellation significantly difficult. To account for these sources of error, the decision was made to programatically map the formation of the interference patterns through use of an 8 channel microphone array. This would allow us to modify the phase of each output channel and monitor the changing interference pattern through the amplitude values recorded by our microphone array. This form of feedback system allows us to work with the inherent imperfections that are present within our working medium.

The application serves two primary purposes. First it allows for the execution of lengthy automated tests where the resulting data is collected in stored digitally. An example of this type of automated test would be the mapping of the 360^4 combinations of potential phase shift combinations given a maximum resolution of 1 degree.

Once this data has been collected, this same application allows for the immediate visualization of the acquired data. The interface allows one to overlay the microphone amplitude values overtop of a mathematically correct prediction of the interference patterns that would occur within an anechoic space.

The image set below describes the various states of the application in its present form. The main display area allows one to see both the mathematical prediction of areas of phase cancellation as well as the microphone amplitudes gathered during a given experiment. The fifth slider is attached to the experimental data and forces the phase of the 4 channels to match the experimental conditions at which the visible instance of data was gathered.

[ please contact for source code and experimental data ]

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retrospective

November 18th, 2008 admin

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vocabulary of value

November 17th, 2008 admin

Wine has an associated descriptive vocabulary that is unparalleled against most other comestible subject matter. Structured, oak, plummy, nougat, toast, mulberries, acid and yeast are but a few examples of the diverse range of words that are actively used to describe the complex flavors of wine. When presented with a large set of wine tasting notes that throughly described over 5000 wines, I was immediately drawn to the associated prices when reading through the tasting notes of a particular selection. Due to the financial realities that I have come to terms with, consuming a bottle of wine beyond the $20 dollar threshold is a rare occasion. Given this circumstance, I was personally drawn the descriptions of the wines that ranged in the hundreds-of-dollars out of sheer novelty and curiosity. This curiosity lead me to then question weather there was a hierarchy of vocabularies within the wine descriptions themselves. While reviewing the wine selections within my budget, was I not being exposed to the full gamut of descriptive words? Is there a premium on certain adjectives when describing such a well understood and valued commodity?

This visualization allows a user to first select a target price of wine. When a price has been selected, the entire descriptive dictionary used in the tasting notes of all 5000 wines is queried to return only those words that have described a wine at the user specified target price (+/- 5%). One can then view the distribution of these now relevant words across the entire price range of wines. For example, if a user defines a target price of $133, only the words used to describe wines at that price will be pulled from the complete dictionary. With a quick glance of the distributions one can infer an understanding of how this subset of words is used across the complete price range of wines. Notable results from this specific query are the words ‘Feminine’ which only appears at the $127 price point. Conversely the word ‘with’ is present across the entire price range.

Additional features have been built into the visualization tool to enhance the exploration of this data-set. Beyond the prominent mouse controlled red scroll bar along the top right of the window that allows for a target price selection, one can scroll vertically through the data-points to reveal the dollar value of the point that one is mousing over. Further more, a single click of the mouse anywhere within the visualization window will pull an additional 55 entries from the relevant subset of words (when applicable). Due to the broad spectrum of wine prices, gaps do exist where a target price will return no words. In this case, one simply has to continue navigating across the scroll bar until a target price is found that returns a subset of descriptive words.

The images below illustrate a few sample cases of the visualization.

An executable java application in *.jar format can be downloaded here.

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sound [space] sound

November 16th, 2008 admin

This project will be manifested in the form of an interactive four channel sound installation. As signals travel through any given medium interference patterns emerge yielding both additive and subtractive summations of the original signals. This project leverages one extreme case of these interference patterns, specifically the occasion where two waves of identical amplitude and opposite phase collide, resulting in a the negation of both signals. In the medium of sound, this negation results in silence.

Audible sine tones below a frequency of 400 Hz will be projected into the defined space of this installation. The foot print of the installation will span 100 square feet marked by a loud-speaker located at each corner of the space. The loud-speakers will be oriented at a 45 degree angle, focusing their output towards the exact center of the space.

This project is designed to accommodate a single user, although spectators will be able to observe the installation from outside of the defined boundary. As the user enters the space, they will be exposed to the sine tones being projected by the speakers. Invisible to the user, a tracking system will be monitoring the exact location of the participant within the defined volume. At an arbitrary moment, the synthesizer controlling the speaker output will modify the frequency-set and the individual polarities of the signals in-order to deliberately create an instance of phase cancellation at the exact location where the user is standing. This location will be further marked by a projection on the floor surface of the volume. The overall effect from the users perspective will be experienced in the form of a sudden drop in volume (in an ideal case silence) along with a visible boundary marking the exact location of a particular instance of phase cancellation. The user can either remain within the marked space or further explore the space with a new understanding of the sonic structure that is subtly filling the space in which they are.

The following story-board describes how one would interact with this installation.

The descriptions below describe a series of on-going experiments designed to aid in the execution of this installation.

experiment 2 [14.11.2008]

working within a large studio space in greenpoint (brooklyn new york) this experiment focused on the brute force mapping of the interference patterns. A sine tone at a frequency of 300 Hz was projected uniformly from all 4 channels. This lower frequency value was selected due to the manageable wavelength of this signal (1.172 meters). The 100 square foot space was divided into a grid that produced 21 valid measurement points. This test was unfortunately prematurely terminated as two of the channels were discovered to be malfunctioning and were projecting their signals at a level almost 20 decibels below their originally calibrated value. Data was gathered for a 300 Hz signal without a shift of phase, and a 300 Hz signal expressing a phase shift of 30 degrees. The images set below contains the results of the tests performed as well as some photographs describing the space we are currently using to develop this project.

experiment 1 [08.11.2008]

this experiment was conducted to better understand the interference patterns created when introducing four unique channels of sound within a closed space. These tests were heavily influenced by the work of La Monte Young.

No quantitative findings were logged, however significant qualitative exploration of the sonic structures created by the various interference patterns were conducted (the video evidence can be seen below). It is this experiment that lead to the shift in conceptual direction from the cancellation of noise within urban spaces to the pure exploration of the interference patterns generated when sound is projected within a given space. The video documentation illustrates the complexity of the sonic structure formed by the sine tones projected into the space. As the camera and microphone rotate in the middle of the space, one can identify a seemingly dynamic audio signal that is actually associated with the interference pattern formed within that particular space. It is recommended that one view these videos while wearing head-phones to better experience the the audio component of the documentation. The title screen of each video describes the sine tones used in each trial (all sets are comprised of prime numbers).

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metaforms - midterm presentation

November 1st, 2008 admin

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visualizing data - chapter 6.

October 21st, 2008 admin

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metaform: final project overview

October 15th, 2008 admin

This project will manifest in the form of contrasting sonic spaces within urban environments. Enclosed ventilation systems are the primary target for this installation due to the highly cyclical nature of the sound they produce in addition to the physical presence they create through the movement of air. Ideally, one will be able to see the and feel the ventilation fan operating in silence when behind the sonic partition created by the installation.

The contrasting space will be created through the hybridization of an active noise control (ANC) system in order to cancel low frequency sounds, and the use of white noise for high frequency masking (due to the inherent difficulties associated with high frequency noise cancellation). This installation will only target highly directional (one dimensional) sources where the sound to be canceled / masked flows towards the installation in a highly focused manner.