3-Dimensional Music and Physical Modeling
Here's my 3-D orchestrater for quadraphonic animation of a monophonic sound sample files. This version runs in Csound. See my M.A. Thesis for more information.
The thesis is the electro-acoustic composition Mississippi Menagerie. The composition explores combinations of acoustic instruments (mandolins and alto flute), with processed variants of these instruments, and envelops its audience in a virtual sound space. Through a quadraphonic speaker configuration during performance, the audience is exposed to musical sounds which appear not to come from the speakers themselves but rather from arbitrary (composer specified) positions from within the concert hall. Furthermore, the movement of these sounds within the virtual space possesses an innate physicality through the simulation of distance dependent amplitude attenuation, appropriate Doppler shifting of frequencies, and other natural acoustic phenomena. The spatial, tumbrel, and melodic relationships between the performers' music and the quadraphonic tape reinforce the programmatic implications of the piece's title. It was given its premiere performance by Alex Ogle and Larry Polansky during the Festival of New Musics held in Spaulding Auditorium at Dartmouth College on April 27, 1996.
My thesis research included the creation of a physical model of the concert space, which makes the 3-Dimensional imaging possible. The software is completely customizable to simulate the movement of a sound, on any trajectory, at any speed, and in any size space. The interface is designed to make it as easy as possible for composers to specify movement, so that its musical context is not lost in the act of composition. The goal of my continuing research in this area is to create ideal virtual imaging that is effective for all listeners, regardless of their seated position within the concert space.