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[Martin Walker]

It' always fascinating to read an interview with the sound designers involved on a blockbuster film project, so here's a timely one about Alien:Covenant

"Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien: Covenant’ is the latest installment in the legendary, genre-defining sci-fi franchise.

And this exclusive A Sound Effect interview gets you the inside-story behind the sound for the much-awaited movie, as told by Oscar-nominated supervising sound editor/sound designer Oliver Tarney and sound designer Michael Fentum.

Here, they discuss their approach to sound design on Alien: Covenant, from building on original Alien sound concepts to creating new sounds for the Neomorph, the Covenant ship, the radio transmissions from the Prometheus, and more."



https://www.asoundeffect.com/alien-covenant-sound/


Martin

[Martin Walker]

Now here's a novel new source of audio from one of our old favourites, the inimitable ::vtol::

How to Turn a Tattoo Into an Experimental Instrument

"The device consists of arduino nano, a metal railing, hand controllers, and a black line sensor (on the tattoo). It then moves up and down the arm using a stepper motor to emit sound. The mechanism also includes a Nintendo Wii controller that uses an Open Sound Control mechanism to add more sounds when moved by the hand.

The tattoo is specifically designed to contain "the maximum number of variable time slots between [sensor] triggers." The speed of the sensors can be controlled manually, giving an infinite number of reading patterns, and thus a variety of noises or even rhythms. "



Flex those pecs and make some music!


Martin

[Martin Walker]

Rhythm Necklace - Geometric Sequencer, By Sam Tarakajian

Here's a natty little iOS app for generating complex beats using geometric shapes:

Rhythm necklaces are circular representations of repeating patterns. The Rhythm Necklace iOS app is a musical sequencer for exploring the geometry of rhythm necklaces, and for experimenting with generating rhythms algorithmically.




And here's where you can find out more: http://rhythmnecklace.com/


Martin

[slewin49]

And just in case I'm not the only one who will have nothing to do with iOS don't forget that you can get something very similar with good old XronoMorph https://www.dynamictonality.com/xronomorph.htm

Steve

[Martin Walker]

Thanks Steve - that one managed to elude me when it was released



Even better, it's a free download (donationware) for both PC and Mac:

www.dynamictonality.com/xronomorph.htm


Martin

[Martin Walker]

Flamenco, from Andreas Trobollowitsch

Ooh I do enjoy the more bizarre end of the sound designing world

Have a look (and listen) to this fascinating concoction from Andreas Trobollowitsch, using multiple acoustic guitars strung on wires




Wonderful sound eh?


Martin

[blinddrew]

I knew there was a reason I had all these guitars.

[Martin Walker]

Now this is a rather bizarre use of quarter-inch tape, but rather inspired nevertheless

Stephen Cornford's For Violin, Viola and Tape features a loop of quarter-inch tape threaded over the strings of a violin and viola, driven by a reel-to-reel machine which records onto one side what its plastic backing is playing a few feet away.






Martin

[Martin Walker]

Now I really do like a novel twist, and this installation certainly qualifies.

"The sound installation consists of seven solar powered bass organ pipe units interacting on the brightness of the sun to control the loudness of the sound. Each organ pipe unit is also catching the wind with 5 small sails and a system of pulley wheels and counter weights for pitching each organ pipe by a moving valve."

Created by Ronald van der Meijs, its title is also the geographic location of the installation

53°18’02.3”N 5°05’12.0”E






Martin

[blinddrew]

Very interesting, does look rather like Darth Vader is about to land though...

[Martin Walker]

"You Can Play These Giant Sculptures Like Musical Instruments"

FINGER POWER! was created by LET’S, a Seattle-based art collective that includes
Peter Lynch, Courtney Barnebey and Andy Arkley.



"To make the music, Lynch records in Ableton Live with a combination of live instruments, synthesizers, and sampling, manipulating all of these sounds in various ways. Lynch then runs Ableton in the background, with each sample routed to a dedicated button on the sculpture. Each button, as Lynch explains, is essentially a sample trigger, which lines the triggered element up on the 8th or 16th note, synchronizing (or quantizing) the sample to a silent metronome."


Martin

[blinddrew]

That looks like a lot of fun

[BJG145]

I just posted saying a good sample library was all you need nowadays, then I remembered discovering Maria Teriaeva yesterday and relented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TID5S3WR_ko

[Martin Walker]

Feeling a bit hard up? Need some sound design inspiration?

Try creating a Three Radio Theremin, performed beautifully by Yuri Suzuki



Here's how to do it yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSYPUhPGavQ


Martin

[Martin Walker]

If you like 'creepy', you'll LOVE 'The Apprehension Engine' commissioned by composer Mark Korven and built by Tony Duggan-Smith

"What happens when a horror movie composer and a guitar maker join forces? They create the world’s most disturbing musical instrument. Affectionately known as "The Apprehension Engine," this one-of-a-kind instrument was commissioned by movie composer Mark Korven. Korven wanted to create spooky noises in a more acoustic and original way—but the right instrument didn't exist. So his friend, guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith, went deep into his workshop and assembled what has to be the spookiest instrument on Earth.

Now the best bit - hear it in action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzk-l8Gm0MY


Martin

[Martin Walker]

Now here's something a little different - behold Cumulus, from SOFTlab



"Cumulus reacts to the footsteps, conversations, and exclamations of visitors, funneling this data into 230 feet of programmed LEDs, fused together at over 100 3D-printed joints. Detecting RAB's ambient sound through a customized user interface, the structure sends signals to the LED segments through three Arduino microcontrollers, becoming a visual barometer for the mood of the room and its inhabitants.

"Each time sound in the space reaches a certain volume, the piece activates," SOFTlab explains in the project's abstract. "A variety of behaviors were programmed, including a trail that cycles through the structure in a series of waves and pulses, each responding to the amplitude and ranges of surrounding sound. Cumulus’ most dynamic behavior is similar in spirit to our original intent—i.e. lightning—which seeks a pathway through one of the next connecting segments. The duration of this path is dictated by the volume of the sound that activates it, while a simple algorithm allows for a variety of interesting visual effects—from long, lightning-like strands caused by sporadic low frequency sounds to a static-y looking burst when people are chattering beneath it."

Now watch it in action!

https://vimeo.com/128390313#at=214


Martin

[Martin Walker]

Siberian Ice Drummers Use Frozen Lake Baikal As An Incredible Musical Instrument

What more can I say? I've heard some stunning sounds when skipping stones across a frozen reservoir, but this takes some beating (pun intended )



And now here's a video performance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=en0p1Y35p3w

Luvvely jubbly!


Martin

[ManFromGlass]

Sounds, er, cool! But bare hands on ice? There has to be some vodka involved! Not that that is a bad thing. ...

[Martin Walker]

Koka’s Stepper Miniature

I'm not sure about this one - the design is truly innovative, but the sonic result to me are too akin to a Stylophone to be impressive

I'll let you all judge for yourselves:

"Koka’s Stepper Miniature is made of a single stepper motor. Sound of the motor is amplified with a contact microphone. Keyboard is made of metal screws and it senses capacitive touch.
Attaching different objects, such as springs and office binders to a rotor, changes colour of the tone and its texture."




Martin

[blinddrew]

Is that just a microphone capsule he has stuck on the front to tap?