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Early Sound Works

by Nate Johnson

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1.
Beach 03:05
2.
3.
Fall 00:56
4.
Shaker 01:41
5.
Gorges 02:10
6.
Gutter 03:02
7.
Humidifier 04:12
8.
Ice Crater 02:03
9.
Kalimba 00:48
10.
Maths As VCO 02:09
11.
Often Blur 02:31
12.
Piano 01:57
13.
14.
River 02:36
15.
Scratch 02:55
16.
Spinner 02:06
17.
Thursday 04:23
18.
Walk 04:22

about

Sound is everything; everything is sound.

All sounds that we are able to hear are waves of vibration. The frequency and amplitude of these waves determine pitch and loudness, and timbre is determined by changes happening over the duration of the sound. You can analyze any given sound for these elements and formulate the essence of that sound for recreation by other means. For instance, electricity is made up of vibrating waves. A musical synthesizer allows manipulation of those waves, turning them into meaningful sound.

We have physiological responses to sound. Music can make us feel happy, sad, glad, or mad. Rhythm, pitch, timbre and loudness all work together (and sometimes against each other!) to achieve this. But these effects are not just limited to what musical instruments can create. Everyday sounds also have rhythm, pitch, timbre and loudness that come together to become the sound we hear. They can also make us happy, sad, glad or mad. Like he intoxicating sound of a moderate rain fall, or the intense sound of waves crashing and pounding along the rocky coast line. Or the irritating sound of a jackhammer or nails scraping across a chalkboard.

So how can everyday sounds be further manipulated - sped up or slowed down, layered and distorted? Can I actually create music this way? This is the question I challenged myself with creating these pieces.

The majority of my process involved recording a sound (ie - water dripping from a gutter or the footsteps and bird songs from a walk with my dog) and bringing it into a device which could playback the sample. I would then slice up that sample into smaller fragments. Sometimes I would alter the order I could hear those fragments. I could adjust the speed of playback, the duration playback would occur for, and shape of the overall tonality. Then I would layer these manipulations to create a kind of ambient wash of sound. I found it very interesting to see how sound reacts to itself as its layered. Completely new textures would emerge.

I challenge the listener to enjoy as it is, with an open mind. But I also encourage the listener to enjoy this as a backdrop to another task, such as studying or reading.

credits

released January 1, 2018

All sounds recorded, assembled, destroyed, recreated, manipulated, mixed and mastered by Nate Johnson

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Nate Johnson Portland, Maine

Explorations into the microcosms of sound.

Focused on the unfocused.

Sound is everything; everything is sound.

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