Accompanying sound logos for SIAF 2014 competition using traditional Japanese ‘Yo’ (bright) and ‘In’ (dark) scales as the harmonic basis. The sound logos have been created using artificial synthesizers emulating natural sounds. They each use only the modal frequencies that are common to both ‘Yo’ and ‘In’ scales employed for the soundscape.

SIAF 2014 - 'Confluence' - Sound Logos

Kiribati is one of the world's most vulnerable nations to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. This composition opens with the sonification of sea level data taken over the last two decades from Tarawa atoll, part of Kiribati. Harmonic resonances of varying waveform types are introduced in increasing intensity to accentuate the urgency of rising sea levels in this region. 

The introduction crescendos to a mix of ocean waves and a hydrophonic recording ice shelves cracking in the Antarctic. Water that has been trapped on land entering the ocean, in either solid or liquid form, is a significant contributor to making sea level rise. The piece ends with an ice shelf breaking off completely and reverberating into silence.

The listener is left to ponder the magnitude of this cause and effect worldwide and how this relates to their own actions in relation to climate change.

CEIArtE_Category A_Brink

The piece opens with the sound of individual coins being dropped. These single coins become many until they are a downpour, signifying the abundance of money in the world. The coins are then emptied on a table for distribution and scrunched and collected as if being chewed, signifying the potential to convert the currency into food. 

The collection of money slowly gives way to a mix of three sounds; road traffic, beachside waves, and forest wildlife. The symbiotic melding of these sounds suggests the potential to live in harmony with nature while maintaining many of the technological advancements we enjoy today.

The piece ends transitioning to dry thunder, hinting at a storm on the horizon, within sight, within a generation.

CEIArtE Category B Synergy

I wrote this piece of music remembering the rich vistas of the Kimberley and how deeply overwhelming its beauty. I was so affected that I vowed to return. This is a lifestyle choice for me. Many others call it home.  #sosblakaustralia‬

Kimberley

Playing around with aural space and how it influences perception of distance and scale.

Ionosphere

Morse

Humming Puppy is a yoga studio in Prahran, Melbourne. The studio has been designed by a world class team including some old colleagues from Arup Acoustics.
The studio owners chose a 40Hz hum as the basis to their offering. A bespoke sound system was designed and installed to be able to produce this necessary low frequency synonymous with their brand.
I was commissioned to design a natural hum sound and compose a suite of long form soundscapes to accompany each of three styles of class: Mellow, Unified, Dynamic. 
A recording of one of Humming Puppy’s Himalayan singing bowls was made and detuned to resonate at 40Hz. This was done in order to promote a natural, organic feel as preferred to creating a purely artificial hum. 
This detuned singing bowl was then processed to modulate the amplitude of the wave across a 10minute loop. This isochronic element was designed to fluctuate between 7.83Hz (Schumann) and 8Hz (Qi Gong). These frequencies were chosen to promote grounding during the classes.
Each of the soundscape compositions are tuned to 432Hz tuning to be harmonious with the 40Hz fundamental tone. Tempo, tonality, timbre, and spectral content have been carefully selected to complement each of the different class styles. 

Humming Puppy

"No man ever steps in the same river twice" - Heraclitus of Ephesus

Mitch_Allen

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