Raise Your Hand: Audio & Music
The main objective for the audio within the Electronic ARTrium exhibit was for each section’s sound to be separate and distinguishable. Since the exhibit occupied a small area, each section was relatively close together, which presented the issue of the sounds bleeding into neighboring sections and blending together. What resulted was a dynamic blend of ambient music and directional sounds that not only reacted to participant motions but was also randomized to allow for a varying experience that is singular for each user and interaction. This cohesive combination, in addition to the visual and mechanical aspects, gave life to the exhibit, via directional speakers and immersive audio.
Concept Ideation Process
One of the main programs used to produce the sound was TouchDesigner, a popular software for creating interactive multimedia content, as the host for sound interaction. TouchDesigner provides hundreds of operators for data processing and networking, enhances projects through Python scripts, and syncs real-time effects and video elements to music, making it a versatile and powerful tool. To learn more about the process and the tools used to make the audio a success, click the button.
Finalization of the Composition
The composition was layered in high and low-register tones to carry the melody and background music separately. This variation responded to different exhibit environments; using directional speakers, the higher tones would play in some areas of the section, while the lower tones would play in others. Thus, in certain areas where the audio overlapped, the participant would be able to hear a fuller composition.
Two compositions were used for the Electronic ARTrium exhibit’s Section 2: one composed by the project’s own Sound Design subteam, and another composed by undergraduate researcher Zuyu Chen.
Section-Specific Sounds
Section 1
Section 1 contained an abstract, moody theme with a keyboard melody on top of a synthetic bass track. When hand height increased in this section, the loudness of the sound would increase, and the inverse was true.
Section 2
Section 2 featured sounds of nature including bird noises to immerse the player. When the hand height increased, more bird sounds would be layered over top one another.
Section 3
Section 3 emphasized a darker theme. The base increased as the hand height increased, and the inverse was true.