Shaping The Soundscape
J. Neal 2010
for an amplified laptop orchestra of at least 8 people
‘Shaping the soundscape’ derives from the idea that when art is in its creative process, a soundscape can form part of that development. A very basic art form has been created for use with this laptop composition.
The art is simply coloured shapes placed on a blank canvas, and purely just represents this composition as an idea rather than advertising it as ‘actual art’.
Composition
The piece uses visual form to instruct the player what and how to play a selection of prepared sounds. A series of shapes will appear from the top of the screen; their form will determine the sound the player performs, and the colour shows in which style. There’re 4 types of sounds (represented as shapes) particular players can perform, these are:
-
Synth = Rectangle
-
Percussion = Square
-
FX = Pentagon
-
Natural Instrumentation (No Vocal Samples) = Circle
The shapes will be assigned to members of the group prior to the performance, this is essential so that the player can prepare the material and get to know the others that are also playing the same. Depending on group size, the shapes will attempt to be spread amongst the players evenly. Each shape will have a colour; this denotes the way the sample is played, so therefore it is essential that the sound prepared can change depending on the following:
-
Continuous = Red
-
Short Stabs (< 1 Second) = Blue
-
High Pass Filtered = Green
Each player must prepare their selected material ready for performance, and it must adhere to the following specifications:
-
Be able to play up to 30 seconds
-
Have the ability to fade in/out
-
Either affect the sound directly or use a chain for another player to affect the signal
Notes
-
The composition starts whenever the first shape is seen.
-
You do not need to play every time you see your shape, although someone who is in your ‘shape group’ must be playing if the shape is on screen.
-
If you see another one of your shapes on screen while you are playing, do NOT stop.
-
Players must stop their sample playing when the shape stops, players can either choose to end suddenly or fade out.
-
Overall performance concludes when a white line appears diagonally across the screen. Whoever is currently playing can again either end suddenly or fade out.
-
Players must manipulate their samples while they are being played using effects processing, as the shapes fall, the effect should get ‘wetter’; top being 0% and bottom 100%.