Thoughts, reflections and summary

At the begining I didn't know what the subject would be about and now it's already over. Hah, such a strange feeling how fast the time runs! Of course, there were some ups and downs, but what doesn't kill you will make you only stronger, right? In total I had two projects and about the two of them I had been excited for the whole time.

I must say I was really surprised about my first project, the marsz umarłych composition. I'm not a big fan of sport but the ice hockey game gave me some positive emotions, new experience (watching ice hockey live in Finland should be MUST for everyone) and also some interesting material. Okei, at first I thought I'm not able to make anything from these sounds, because I was sitting in the fan zone, so mainly I heard fans but not the players themselves. But it was actually good, because I could make my creativity to work and after some time of self-brainstorming I realised that I didn't have to make anything related to ice hockey actually. It could have been based on, why not? I got really attached to this idea and so eager to try it! I'm glad I could find appropriate program fulfilling my requirements to the project and actually it was quite easy the learn some basic stuff about this program. As I was adding more and more new stuff I was more and more excited about the final outcome. When I was listening to the whole composition I had shivers all over my spine and the funniest part was when I reminded that it was based on the ice hockey game. Ridicously I claimed it unbelievable even if I was the creator myself!

The second project was more complicated I was really excited about working with sensors and actually I wish we could have spent some more time playing with them, but even this little was good enough. Actually it was the first time when I realised what was behind different devices and engines that I've already faced but never thought of it. We were working in groups and mine was working on a Grand Radio (for more details please go some posts earlier, I've already described the whole idea). It was so great to hear it working! At first I had doubts it could work or if I ever succeed, but with help of our tutor everything went so much better! I must admit I felt the pressure of time a little bit, 'cause the deadline was really soon and I couldn't focus that much on the other things that I should have been doing meantime, maybe the introduction to the whole course should be shorter? Nevertheless the whole effort payed off and during the presentation day we could have presented the program.

The whole subject I consider as incredibly fascinating and discovering. I could have tested myself in many fields raging from focused and a bit mad work in front of the screen to presenting the projects in front of all the classmates. It was a really good and enriching experience and I'm sure it'll have a great impact for my further projects, working style, etc.

Finalising the Radio project

I'm happy that the whole project turned out to be working so great. It's been an awesome experience to play around the sensors, even if (or maybe especially) when some surprises happened. Like today: a sensor which wasn't supposed to be a part of the radio suddenly became quite a meaningful part! Either working on programming could fix it OR we can always smartly add this sensor to the radio.

Also surprising was when we were asked to speak about our project in front of the camera to record some human persona behind the project. Too bad our radio model was in a very prototype version, so still we have to work on the visual form of our project. But I'm strongly convinced that everything is going to work out well and  the final effect will be awesome!

marsz umarłych (the march of the dead)

For the whole time I've been writing about the sensor project and I didn't really explain how my "marsz umarłych" came to the reality. So let me catch up with this. The story about ice hockey match you already know or if not, scroll down to first posts. Let me mention that from the match i got about 70 recordings, but to my composition I used only four (click to listen):

• Booing
• Clapping and announcing
• Whistle
• Cheering

Then I started looking for a software were I could work on these sounds according to my needs. After some time of research I found Linux MultiMedia Studio and I'm really pleased with the results. I had to watch a tutorial to learn how make the sounds to fade and merge together, but the rest just came naturally.

I started looking for the right speed, lenght and volume for each sound:

 And the sequences had already been chosen in the timeline:

It was a great fun to play with this program and especially with the sounds, 'cause my target was reached. It doesn't recall an ice hockey match anymore!

marsz umarłych
(click to listen)

Magic!

© Anna Kleniewska (TalviEnkeli)

Thursday and Friday of the last week were pretty busy, 'cause I wanted to get the code finished. And after fights, long telepathic conversations with the computer, being ripped off my patience at some points I'm happy to announce that the code is DONE! Well, at least version for the computers. Now I'm working on improving it so it'd work with sensors smoothly.

Mind Blow-up, MADintosh and others presents...

In the very morning, a new program was introduced to our group: Max - visual programing. Thanks to this thing we can program some sensors to work the way we want. Especially for our Radio project! I was the one in the Radio project group that would take care about programing, I don't know why but I got quite into it, especially that I didn't understand it the begining what was going on, but I wanted to understand this magic. And I had my small success, but at first I had had to make a total mess :D Which you can see here:

Next time I turned everything upside-down and it was a pretty much fun, especially that I'm not used to work on Macs. By the way... can't they call programs differently?? We have 3Ds Max Desing, Max, Macs, etc... Oh c'mon? But back to Macs, I mean, what point is in Delete button when you cannot remove files on desktop with it? Or how to say "control-Z" in Macs language while you don't really use Ctrl to undo things? But it's pretty fun to experience the other system, especially with Finnish keyboard :D It has still its secrets before me and feels like it doesn't like me too much, thinking hours what should be after 101, humm, well.. maybe 102? But perhaps my blame, I just wanted to try so many other things, but the computer couldn't bear me anymore! And fix what should be fixed, but another time :) What's left is the copy-paste formulae for songs, like 80 times and fixing the mistakes to make it work properly!

On my another project, the personal one I tried to play with the sounds of the fan zone from the ice hockey match! I used Linux MultiMedia Studio to edit and combine the sounds. The composition is named March of the Dead at least for now, because you can really hear like ghosts passing by howling and moaning. Sounds like a track to a horror game a bit, still some things to work on there! Scarrryy.... Nothing like fan zone! When I imagine a real fan zone howling like this I always laugh xD

Projects

©Anna Kleniewska (TalviEnkeli)

The first project was about recording sounds in order to use/present it in a certain form. I went to an ice hockey match. I thought I'd hear more game not the fan zone, but sitting IN the fan zone it's not possible. Nevertheless, I changed the concept after listening to the whole recording. I decided to make a melody/sound based on the noises from the hall but they'll be so edited that their origin will be unrecognisable. I wonder it's going to be!

© Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw

The second project will be based on this device, which is a part of exhibition in Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. We're going to use sensors and program them to play top music from different countries within last decade. User will be able to choose himself the year and the country, then as an equation music will be played.

Invisible instrument

Today I was trying to find some examples of people playing "invisible instruments". Well, I found Rowan Atkinson's performance at the very beginning ^^"

What I really wanted to find was Theremin instrument and I found a gorgeous combination of Theremin and electric Kantele, it's really appealing! Take a look!!

Theremin was invented by Léon Theremin from Russia in 1928. "The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the relative position of the thereminist's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker." (wikipedia)