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The Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries, Pao Hall, Purdue University. 16th-26th October 2013.
I was given stories of cancer patients collected at "Carry the Torch" (the Community Cancer Network's fundraiser to support the community) and the iconic speech by Jimmy Valvano at the ESPY awards and used these journies to compose this track. One theme which stood out for me was how all of their stories described how people defined beauty as experienced physically, psychologically, and spiritually. I wanted to use Jimmy Valvano's speech within this composition, integrating it within the melody and underscore. I used Logic Pro X to produce this track, using a variety of MIDI and built-in instruments; layering them to get the desired sound. With the vocals, I used techniques such as compression, imaging and delay so that it complimented the melody.
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Directed by Rebecca Alloway
Performed at the University of Kent. 2nd-3rd June 2013.
The play itself was not demanding with regards to its sound design. Due to this, I produced two montages which explored feminism from the 1970's to the present day to play before the performance began and during the interval. This required a lot of personal research about both the play and the era it was set in. I feel that the sound design added a new dimension to the play and began to create the setting before the show had even began.
See review here.
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Within this project I explored the possibilies and effectiveness of space within music. The music is an original composition and I used reverberation and localization of space to explore how this can effect the focus of listeners attention. The changes of space within the three instruments used gave this simple, repeated chord progression much more depth.
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I used a mixture of recorded sounds and built-in instruments on Logic Pro to create this soundscape. My focus was on the differences of colour within sounds and how the different frequencies of a sound can build dramatic tension when used together.
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Whilst composing this piece I focused on how the loudness and dynamics of the instruments can impact the overall quality of a piece of music. Mass is an essential element of music and I found it to be extremely effective particularly when introducing instruments. For example, by using a soft guitar against the loud, heavy synthesiser, it gave the second part of the song much more energy despite using the same four chords.
Fast Track Extra is a student led news show that covers news around Purdue campus and the West Lafayette area. The show broadcasts weekly via Comcast and has a YouTube channel. The show was using Garageband loops and idents as the music for the show, so I offered to compose and produce an original score for them. I used the BBC News theme tune for inspiration and once I had the basic shore, I built up several layers of strings to get the sound I needed. I used techniques such as compression, equalization and reverb when finalizing the production.
3ETV is a live weekly chat show hosted by Margaret Sass (see Video section for more information).
I composed and produced the theme tune for the show to play over the graphics during the introduction.
The SETScan Optical Patternator is a new product created by En'Urga Incorporated. Doug Osman produced a video for the company to help promote Enurga and I recorded the voice over before producing an original underscore. I recorded the voice over using the sound studio facilities at Purdue University and during the production stage, used compression to get the clean, crisp voice over sound I was looking for. I produced the music in Logic Pro X and used simple drum rhythms to keep the music upbeat without taking the attention away from the voice over.
For this piece of music; "Dropped Whispers", I worked closely with Carol Cunnigham: a choreographer for Purdue Contemporary Dance Company. The dance was performed during the Spring Works 2014 show at the Hansen Theatre, Purdue University. Carol and I met on a weekly basis and throughout the week I would experiment with several different ideas, instruments and musical structures. Our journey began with the idea of inconsistency: Carol wanted the music to change sporadically, keeping both the dancers and audience on their feet. After attending the rehearsals, it was clear to see that one dancer was the focus of this inconsistency. The music represented all of her conflicting thoughts and confusion, with the other dancers signifying the different stages. We wanted to create a huge climax at the end of the dance, with all of these thoughts fusing together. By combining the several sections of the music and building the levels gradually before suddenly panning everything to the right, I feel that I was able to create this climax.
Mirror.Who/am/I: This production was written and directed by a student in the Purdue Theatre department: Joseph Raynor. I thoroughly enjoyed composing and producing the sound design for this piece because it was completely different to anything I had done before. The play was set in a theatre dressing room, with only six audience members at a time. Each audience member was instructed to bring headphones and download this track onto their smart phones/iPod before the performance. During the piece, the lights cut out and the audience were instructed to listen to the piece as they watch the only actor left in the dressing room. The track I created represents his thoughts before going on stage; he is confused, distressed and anxious. I recorded his vocals using the sound studio at Purdue University, making sure he was isolated, by using a sound booth. During the production stage, I manipulated and layered his vocals to create the confusion and build tension. As this is all happening in his head, I wanted to create a dreamlike state, which is why I decided to use a very monotonous synthesised instrument to underscore his vocals. I created the sound effects my manipulating synthesis sounds, using techniques such as reversal, compression and reverb.