My Final Outcome

Acid Pro 7 was used to mix my vocals with the different sound clips in the project.

although i recorded my own sounds, they were very quiet, so i used some stock train/ambience sounds as well as stock birdsong and sound effects from freesound.org.

On my project CD these are seperated.

I used photoshop to create the static images, and made an intro screen with a button rollover.

I also did a 'stop all sounds' command for when the intro screen was exited as i noticed that the sounds were overlapping. There is also an invisible button in the top right hand corner that will stop all sounds. this is solvely for people marking/debugging the work. I want users to be able to overlap all the sounds and not restrict them from messing it all up.

I had been experimenting with different ways of doing visuals in my sketchbook, and i finally arrived at the design above. Each bar along the journey is wider, symbolising it revealing more than more each time. It also acts as a visual 'key' forthe user to get their bearings. I have also considered people going the wrong way in the audio of my final piece.

The audio was mixed using Acid Pro, which really helped as my original method of clicking sound clips on the computer sounded terrible. I mised in a little bit of history and interesting sound clips with the directions, and at the end the user gets to the tranquil space.

this is the script for the project:

A: intro screen

'hello and welcome to a 'piece of peace'.

'You will be lead through a world of sounds, taking you backwards through time and exploring notable sites in London.
Your final destination will be reached within 20 minutes.
To start, please click the green button.
Please navigate through sound clips by clicking on each numbered 'slice': you will see what i mean very soon.
So stop messing around and come and join me!
Start it as soon as you step off the train at Charing Cross Station'

-> 'enter' SOUND BITE (HOVER OVER GREEN BUTTON)


1.

'as you step off the train at charing cross station, this is how it might sound now'

-> sound clips throughout
PROGRAM USED: ACID PRO 7

'but it wasnt always this way
part of the old Charing Cross Station was once used for the Air Raid Precaution Building exhibition
in 1938 which aimed to show people how to protect themselves against air raids
With high concern for poison gas attacks, people were shown wearing them and using tape to prevent the entry of poionous gases
Charing Cross is also very close the now closed 'Trafalgar Square Station', once part of the Bakerloo Line.
It disappeared off the map in the 70's,but you can now access an old exit which was once part of the station,
which we are going to now.
Follow the arrows to the trafalgar square exit and once you are there, hit number 2 and i'll come and find you!'

2.
'Welcome to trafalgar square. you'll probably be greeted by the sounds of children playing in the space
(the fountain area is hugely popular in the summer) as well the the occasional pigeon.
A popular location hosting anything from demonstrations to childrens activites, it commemorates the battle of trafalgar in 1805.
Undoubtedly you'll notice nelsons column, which is surrounded by four giant lions guaring it. You'll probably notice a few children (and
brave adults) climbing up onto it to take photographs.Behind this statue is the National Gallery. I'll leave you here to take a look around,
meet me at number 3 to go onto the next part of this journey'

3.
'Hello again!
Did you manage to have a look around? Great! Now lets go to the main entrance to Charing Cross Station.
Do you remember where you got off the train? If not, you probably shouldnt be allowed out alone.
tut tut tut.
Look for a road called 'Strand' and walk along it (away from trafalgar square).
You may have to cross over to get to it
Be careful: a number of tourists are badly injured every year by walking in front of London Buses.
But dont let me put you off.
You should walk past a Pizza Express.
Cross over so that you are on the opposite side of the road, and carry on in that direction until you are at Charing Cross Station.
If you walk past mcdonalds, you have gone too far but you can always stop off for a burger.
You'll need to turn around, with mcdonals on your left, then take the next left.

The original station building was built on the site of the Hungerford Market by the South Eastern Railway and opened on 11 January 1864.
The stations reputation suffered a blow when in 1905, a 77foot section of wall collapsed at 3.45pm during a very busy day.
Debris covered four passenger trains, and part of the western wall crashed into the now 'Playhouse Theatre'.
Six lives were lost including two workmen and a WHSMITH Vendor.

Take the next right once you've passed the station, and come and find me at part 4 once you've picked up some trinkets from the conveniently
placed stall.

4.
'remember me? tear yourself away from the i heart london vests and put down that tshirt saying 'my mum went to london and all she got me was this t-shirt'.
You're very nearly finished so don't give up now. It's a downhill walk from here'. Walk down this little side road, until you can see Embankment Station'.
On your left is one of the The victoria Embankment gardens. Walk a little closer. On a quiet summer morning you can hear birdsong,
and less of the hustle and bustle of city life.
But you're not going in. You've still got a little bit more exploring to do.
Click number 5 and i'll stop teasing you and take you to your 'piece of peace'.

5.

'Walk right upto embankment station and look to the right. You'll see a badly lit passageway, which i'm afraid you're going to have to walk through.
There are a few upmarket shops here, and a place to get a bite to eat. pick up a cold drink to enjoy in the park.
Walk upto the road, and you should be able to the the park. No more tricks. This is it. But don't get ahead of yourself.
Walk left to the end of the road to the crossing, and cross over. This is your 'piece of peace'. Victoria embankment gardens.
I'll leave you now with some relaxing sounds to enjoy. Thankyou for taking this journey with me, and we'll meet again soon!

Julians School

This is a piece which overlays different words spoken by children from a school, and mixes it with music to create a soundtrack.

I think it was very effective, and the imagery consisted of various clips of and around the school at different points in history. There are also drawings by the children.

It was also by Duncan Chapman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilvN0Rkb770&feature=related

I like how organic and non organic sounds have been mixed together to create an atmnosphere, and a sense of depth.

20 years of notebooks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij5nDrKyc2A&feature=player_embedded#at=24

20 years of notebooks: Duncan Chapman



Sound Artist Duncan Chapman has scanned in 20 years worth of notebooks, and run a soundtrack over the top. The soundtrack is very sombre and repetitive, but almost hypnotic. It is a sound journey using static images, but there is no interactivity, no sense of time and the pictures are moving (i suppose that this would be because static clips would get boring). I really liked the piece, and the music had a marked effect.

Visuals:Researching sound maps

I am having some difficulty deciding on the visual section of the outcome, so i thought i'd do a bit more research into this.

I found a great blog by a 'sound artist' with lots of posts of interactive sound maps, and the visuals that accompanied them. I found it very interesting, and picked my favourites, below.

http://www.duncanchapman.org/tag/sound-art/page/2/

The ISLE OF DOGS interactive piece is titled 'ISLE OF DOGS MUSIC'. You interact with it by clicking on a section of the map or on small circular bullet point, which then sometimes enlarges. The sound starts out quite quietly and i didnt even hear it at first, and thought that it wasnt workiung. This fading in was slightly amazing.

www.iodmusic.org/youarehear/




I also liked the piece titled 'ambulatincula' which was for a communal gareden, and the user picked up an MP3 player to listen to specific sounds created for the space. There is a focus on the ringing of bells which are intended to signify beginnings, endings and change i.e. birth, death and marriage. The sounds are a mix of the organic and non-organic which creates an eerie feel in certain clips. The sounds have been carefully constructed to create an emotional response. The sounds are intended to be listened to at certain times during the day.

What i like about the sounds is the serenity, and the careful construction of them. It really creates an atmnosphere, which is what i am hoping the sounds that i play at my 'tranquil space' will do.





http://www.duncanchapman.org/past/ambulatincula/

Sketching and ideation work

I took a few sketches on-site and then did a diagram mapping sketches onto a map as well as a storyboard.



The third image was an idea i had for how to display the imagery.

I really like the way that the first image is mapped: it allows the user to identify where they are, and it could still be a guided tour and treasurehunt. The audio could ask you to find something HIDDEN in the map, and then use that as a starting point. Almost like finding Wally from 'Wheres Wally', and then directing you from there.

Ideally, i would want my final outcome to be a series of treasure hunts to different places.



For example in this map, youd find wally and then youd say, go north or something like that. In the tutorial session we had, i got the idea to put it underneath a grid. This might be a good idea. The treasurehunt would therefore not only be in the physical location, but also in the map.

This would mean that the map could be for multiple different journeys: youd just change the audio file for direction!

Exploring & documenting my site

My site: Victoria embankment gardens

I went to the site, taking photographs, video and audio recording and also did a few very quick sketches. I want to use this content to help shape the visual part of the outcome: to work out what i'm seeing and how i want to portray this visually.

Documentation of the of the journey:

1. Coming out of the train station

This clip is from the train on the way. It was going past mansion house.




2. Charing Cross Trafalgar Square Exit


3. Crossing the road toward the Charing Cross main exit


This video (below) was taken from the walk between the trafalgar square exit of Charing Cross Tube Station & Charing Cross. I shot it at a crossing and the sound from the road is very prominent with the noise of buses and cars.




this is a pure audio clip taken from the same place.



This is a video clip taken across the front of Charing Cross station.



4. Side road connection Charing cross to Embankment station

5. Halfway down the side road. Huge amount of shops, and a view of the London Eye


6. Embankment station: there is an alleyway that you have to walk through to get to the park with shops such as an upmarket underwater sports supply store, and a few food shops. There is actually also a park on the left.

7. The alleyway


8. Embankment station: walking to the crossing.

This video (below) was taken between steps 7&8.



9. entrance to the gardens/


10. inside the gardens. beautiful luxury building overlooking it.


I took a very long audio clip that contained the entire walk in one long shot. Unfortunately audioboo has cut off the end of it, but at the end i just stood in one static place. I was planning to cut short sound clips.





This is a shot from my sketchbook with a storyboard. I did a quick storyboard, and the page sums up the four main places along my walk and what i learnt: the timings, took note of significant places of interest, got the sound clips i needed and took some useful video recording and some useful photographs.

Group tutorial Session

We had a group tutorial session, where we shared our ideas, and got feedback and various different suggestions. I took an audio recording as well as some shots of the wipe-board we used.

This was very useful, and i think it would be useful to do with all out projects as getting feedback from other designers is different to getting feedback from non-designers and just as valid. It was great getting different views, and seeing my take on the project in a different way.



This was the board reviewing my outcome. The main suggestions were the use of a grid and multiple destinations.

Project Goals & Decisions

Moving towards the outcome part of the project, i have to identify aims for myself and make decisions on what i'm doing and where to go next.

I have selected my site: Victoria Embankment Gardens, London

It is a large public space right by the river, gated and surrounded by trees. It is busy in the summer, but quieter in the winter. Overlooked by towering grand buildings, and right off the main road. There are tended flowers, grass areas, a main statue and seating areas.

It is a beautiful, space, and although very close to the road, the noise is somehow muted and not a source of distraction. During the summer, the London marathon runners go past it.

taken from: http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/embankment_place_22e.html

One thing that previous projects have taught me is that i need to have even more consideration for the end user, and the context of use. My research into sound journeys has helped me identify what is available, and to categorise these. I identified four different types. All of my examples fit quite neatly into each type, and there is not really any overlap.

I had been to this space in the summer while still at school during the holidays, usually as a stopping off point to get ice creams and chat before walking on to Leicester Square.

What i want to do is to do something that hasnt been done before: Combine three different types of sound journeys: audio tours, the treasure hunt, and theraputic journeys.

What i want to do will be titled: 'searching for a piece of peace'.

It is for people that enjoy relaxing, beautiful spaces and want to be introduced to places that they might not have found before. It could be for adults, whether this be couples or individuals, and they must enjoy being in london and discovering new spaces.

The sound journey will ask them to find a specific landmark, and then it will guide them to Victoria Embankment Gardens. The travelling part will be the audiotour and the treasure hunt as the garden will be the 'treasure', and there will be a short tour with some information about london. Once they arrive at the garden, they will be guided around it, and then sit down and enjoy the relaxation/mediation part of it.

I feel it is important to point out that i am not putting together three different types just for the sake of it: i feel it improves the experience and would add value to the experience. Now i just have to iron out the content and work out how it is going to be shown visually. I am thinking to do a beautiful illustration or collage. I think it could be possible to add an actual map of the area to it, and text is a possibility.

The geographical sound map: Examples

Here are a few examples of type 4 sound maps: the geographical sound map.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specialreports/saveoursounds/index.shtml

'

Help to create a snapshot of the world in sound!

We’re really excited about Save Our Sounds, but we need your help to create an audio map of the world. We’re especially keen to preserve endangered sounds for future generations.

You can get involved by sending us sounds from where you live, and then listen your way around the world with our interactive map.

Please upload your sounds onto our map.

Find out more about Save Our Sounds and follow our recording tips in order to collect the best quality sound.

So get recording and take us all on a journey through sound!'

This map is virtual and the sounds are not connected to eachother. They are uploaded by members of the public.

Below is another type of map

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/interactive/2010/apr/26/caledonian-road-sound-map

There is an actual journey that it is taking you along, and you can either access the virtual version, or print out the map and listen to the MP3. This method is interesting as the two different interactions provide a completely different experience with essentially the same content.

'Sound map: the Caledonian Road

Award winning broadcaster and oral historian Alan Dein walks us down the Caledonian Road, telling the story of the north London street through the voices of the people who live and work on it.

Download our mp3 audio guide and PDF map to play as you walk down "the Cally" or use the interactive map below'

http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/survey/soundmaps/

This sound map is available with different sounds during the day and the night. You click on a grid square to hear the relative sounds.

'Recordings of background atmospheres and incidental noises from all over London. Many form part of a sound grid series recorded at evenly-spaced points across the city, each marking the centre of a square on the map below.'

Out of all of these sound maps i prefer the sounds from the caledonian sound map and the way that different types of recieving the map have been considered and designed for.

Four types of sound journeys

I am going to split sound journeys up into the four different categories that i think that sound journeys can belong top

1. Audiotours
2. The Treasure Hunt
3. Theraputic/Visualisation journeys
4. The geographical sound map

1. Audiotours

You are given step by step information with the intention of drawing you in. Historial and general interest information as well as related sounds are given. The focus is on the journey itself rather than the destination. The aim is to make the location easy to navigate, so directions are explicitly given.

Motivation for participating in this sound journey: To get a greater understanding of places of interest.

2. The treasure hunt.

There is a single destination or multiple destinations. The focus is on the destination/destinations, rather than the journey itself. Clues are given to direct the user, which may be cryptic or difficult to understand (which is the point of the treasure hunt). There is a 'reward' at the end.

Examples of this: http://www.teambuildevents.co.uk/index.html
This website provides corporate treasure hunts with the intention of team building. Although the focus is on the final destination, there are several smaller destinations on the way to maintain interest

Motivation for participation: The thrill of the chase

3. Theraputic/Visualisation journeys

These journeys are imaginary, and take place within the mind. Various tools are used to take participants on an internal journey including intrumental and vocal cues.

Motivation for participation:Relaxation

4. The geographical sound map

These journeys require an interface, and you access geographically mapped sounds via a phone or laptop. The sounds dont have to be connected, but you can build a picture of what various different environments are like.

Motivation for participation: General Interest.

Room Acoustics

-Room size, layout and materials can greatly compromise sounds
-Focus here is on music recording or home entertainment system layouts for optimum results

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVZTKIrR6lI

What can people to do improve the accoustic performance?

Why does it happen?

Things such as being able to guess where a person is even over a phone i.e. being able to tell if they're in a bathroom.

Week 4: London Fashion Week

This week i went to some shows for London Fashion Week, and i took some voice recordings.

I was interested in how easy it was to understand what you were listening to, whether you could guess where it was taken, and also to take sounds from somewhere i wouldnt usually go.

I took a recording of the queue, and compared it to the sounds i took from the restaurant. They are both extremely similar (conversational sounds).

I asked two people to listen to the two different recordings and identify which one was eating, and which was queueing and they both got it right (although with a test this sample it could just be luck).

Perhaps it is because the sounds in the eating area are 'closer together' and louder so you imagine a legrer density of people. This lends itself to an eating area rather than a queue. I never would have thought that this small differences in the depth of the sound would affect your reaction to it. This needs to be considered when making a sound journey.

I also took a recording of the runway before the show started and titles it 'fashion buzz'.
The sounds are very slightly different due to the different size and shape of the room.

http://audioboo.fm/boos/290756-fashion-buzz

I also took some recordings during the show, which were peppered with on-screen videos and of the clips explicitly says that it was 'london fashion week'.

This clip is of a video clip and includes some of the fashion show music.

It sounds like a TV advert or feature. Towards the end it sounds like a hairdressers advert. It could be a clip from MTV, although the tinny sounds lend themselves to a larger room.

http://audioboo.fm/boos/290770-fashion-show-cont

http://audioboo.fm/boos/290771-fashion-music

I looked up room accoustics here: http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/roomacoustics.html

It really interests me, and i wonder if it would be possible to play the same sounds in different environments and be able to guess what kind of room/space the sound is in.