Introduction
Link: https://editor.p5js.org/thomastai/sketches/vfS2UYjS
For this assignment we were asked to create a digital, audio-visual, sample-based instrument. I found five different sounds from freesounds.org and the London Philarmonia Orchestra’s website. For each individual sound, I was tasked to design a visual, animated representation for each sound and sketch it on paper. The instrument and corresponding animation were created using P5.js. According to the composer Edgard Varèse mentioned in this week’s reading, “music is organized sound.” I wanted to experiment with the concept of music as organized sound by creating an instrument out of an object we use everyday: the elevator. By taking sounds from an elevator and mixing it with other instruments, we could generate unique sound in an interactive way.
Process
First, I found sound files that I wanted to use for this project. I found elevator music from freesounds.org which served as the inspiration for the theme. It loops very well which made it great as background music. The below image shows a preliminary idea of what I wanted to do on paper.
I added if statements that would detect when audio was playing and trigger the corresponding animation. We call the keyPressed function which plays the audio file, then test that condition in the draw loop. To make the color of the background change, I used the random function and an interval timer. To roll the ball across the floor, I mapped the audio clip’s progress to horizontal movement. When the elevator ding is played, we draw the inside of the elevator until the audio clip ends. Finally, I created a balloons object keep track of the location, color, and speed of each balloon which would be recalculated upon each draw loop.
Reflection
This first assignment was interesting because we got to create our own instrument using just audio clips. Using programming, it is easier than ever before to create digital instruments from sound files. There are an infinite amount of possibilities that musicians and artists alike can create with the technology we have today. I hope to learn more about the intersection between music and programming in this class.
Sources
Elevator Music – https://freesound.org/people/Jay_You/sounds/460432/
Elevator Ding – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNvDULdNk8
Snare Drum, Agno Bells, Banana Shaker – http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/sound_samples