Soundscape composition
Description:
The World Soundscape Project (WSP) was established as an educational and research group at Simon Fraser University during the early 1970s, and documented soundscapes as part of an over-arching concern to draw attention to the importance of the sonic environment. R. Murray Schafer’s definitive soundscape text, TheTuning of the World, and Barry Truax’s reference work Handbook for Acoustic Ecology were outcomes of these early years, followed by Truax’s publication Acoustic Communication that deals with all aspects of sound and the impact of technology. In the field of sonic design, the computer increasingly provides tools for dealing with both the basic material of sound composition, suchas granular synthesis, convolution and digital signal processing, and the creation of multi-channel soundscape compositions using recorded materials. Prof. Truax’s presentations will outline the background of acoustic ecology as an area of both scientific research and artistic endeavour, leading into a discussion of soundscape composition as an art form per se, ranging from the pioneering workof the WSP to contemporary compositional approaches to creative presentations of soundscape materials.
Details:
- Lecturer: Barry Truax.
- Schedule: July 18, 19, 20; 10:00 – 11:30.
- Room: 52s27.
Materials:
The lectures will follow resources from Barry Truax‘s home page and other resources distributed during the sessions.
