A New Toy

When it comes to controlling all of the different parameters of audio equipment, external hardware or internal software, many find it difficult or tedious. In the past, these 'modulations' of the sound began with early developments of synthesizers. The user would have to turn knobs, move faders, and patch the signal from module to module of the synthesizer to create vast amounts of variations to the original sound.

Over the years, technology has rapidly advanced creating new and innovative ways to control sound. Professional sound effects are now at the touch of a button with keyboard synthesizers and their rack mount equivalents. Programming languages have provided the opportunity to program and sequence productions ranging from a solo instrumentalist to alien ambiances to full symphony orchestras. A human voice can be processed to sound like anything, it can even be controlled in real time with other instruments like a vocoder.

All of these exciting new technologies offer endless tools to create any sonic landscape your imagination leads you to. This process is a tedious one, in most cases. It still involves changing parameters on the external gear itself, by way of remote on a control surface or by feverishly clicking away on your mouse inside some software program or plug-in.

Many people use items like MIDI trigger banks, control surfaces, sequencer and synthesizers today to take advantage of developed programming languages to control sound, but a new toy has been discovered that functions in a way like nothing before it. Some of you probably have one in your house and don't even know it, a Nintendo Wii Remote. After some upgrading with accessories available at any video game store, the remote can be a refreshing new take on controlling sound.

The Bluetooth signal used to communicate with the Wii console is also able to communicate with other Bluetooth devies. These devices can then be taught to interpret the information using software compatible with any platform. There are programs for PC, Mac and other platforms for free or very little.

Here is a brief description of the Wiimote features and those of the upgrades.

The Wiimote is a squared-off white cylinder about the size of a clave or a
large hot dog, with 11 buttons and a dark area at one end that has something to
do with infrared light. Inside are an Analog Devices ADXL 330 3-axis 3G
accelerometer; a highly accurate, 2-axis infrared tracking system; a
cell-phone-style vibrator called a “rumble generator”; a tiny speaker; and a
Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. For another $20, you can almost double the
Wiimote's power by adding a Nunchuk, a pickle-shaped device that plugs into the
Wiimote with a cable and gives you a second ADXL 330, a two-dimensional
joystick, and a couple of more buttons.

The ADXL 330 (which, if purchased separately, would cost nearly twice as
much as the Wiimote) is a remarkable little chip. It senses motion in the x
(left to right), y (up and down), and z (forward and back) planes and generates
three different analog voltages in response. But its 3G (3 Gravities) rating
means that it is sensitive enough to respond to the earth's gravitational field,
even when it's not moving. So it not only measures acceleration, it can also
measure static position relative to the earth's pull — in other words, tilt. At
all times, therefore, the unit reports its rotational position in three
dimensions: what airplane pilots call pitch (vertical plane), yaw (horizontal
plane), and roll (twist).

Now imagine being able to control the pitch of something by simply raising or lowering your arm. You could move your arm left and right to increase or decrease the tempo, or twist your wrist to add more or less reverb. By mapping the controls of the Wiimote and it's upgrades to the controls of any parameter or command imaginable, the user can control sound in a new creative manner. Physical expression can be transformed into sound, body movements translated into any imaginable soundscape.

Plenty of support is also available to anyone interested within various Wii forums scattered around the Internet. Click the link below to watch a video of two people using the Wiimote as a controller. There isn't too much musicianship contained, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Quicktime is needed to view the video and it takes a second for the video to download after your click the link.

'Imaginary Dialogues' performed by Paul Lehrman and Phil Acimovic on 2 Wii remotes

Modulations

Modulations was directed by Iara Lee and released back in 1998. Lee's film documents the evolution of electronic music. This documentary steps back from previous videos posted that focused on specific genres of electronic music and looks at it as a whole.

From filmmaker Lara Lee comes this epic, documentary examining the electronic
music scene on a global level. Spanning its history in culture from its earliest
beginnings, get the music, slamming dancefloor footage, and interviews with all
the exotic experts who exist within the electronic universe where all minds may
enter!

Click to watch Modulations

Largest Collection of Recorded Music EVER!

A few weeks ago I came across an article entailing the largest cache of recorded music. This collection is composed of 3 million vinyl records and over 300,000 CDs and is worth over $50 million.

From Thomas Edison to American Idol, this is the complete history of the music that shaped and defined five generations. 3 million records and 300,000 CDs containing more than 6 million song titles. It’s the undisputed largest collection of recorded music in the world. About half of the recordings are new and never played, and every genre of 20th century music is represented. There are countless rare recordings worth hundreds, or even thousands of dollars each on the collectibles market. Organized and cataloged, the collection is meticulously maintained and housed in a climate-controlled warehouse.

I later found a short video on this massive archive of music and figured I'd share. I'm still cleaning the drool out of my keyboard from watching this video, but if you're looking for an even deeper insight into this man's habitual hording of recordings over his life, a link to an extended version of the video is listed at the end.

Enjoy...

Hit News Stories Leading to Hit Songs....?

I believe the majority has probably by now heard something about actor Christian Bale and his epic tirade on set. Bale's eloquent display of recurring expletives was ignited by Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for Bale's latest film. Hurlbut accidentally walked onto the set during a live scene, sparking Bale's outburst.

Bale has been both berated and defended in every facet of the media since the news hit the airwaves. This tongue-lashing released by Bale scored a huge hit as a news story, but news is not the only category this rant reveled in.

According to Billboard, Kelly Clarkston's 'My Life Would Suck Without You' dominated the charts through the first week of February with 280,000 downloads. Although the first American Idol is a tough competitor, anyone can tell you 2.5 million is greater than 280,000. That's how many downloads audio engineer Lucian Piane, aka RevoLucian, raked in with his production of 'Bale Out.' Piane's track is composed of various soundbites from Bale's diatribe of profanity and was constructed in only three hours using Logic Studio.

Piane said...

The clip with Christian Bale was so rich with musicality, I couldn't resist! You have to act fast on these internet things, because they become old news very quickly. I couldn't afford to spend more (time) because I was finishing up work on the new RuPaul album.

After all the time, money, sweat and effort put into today's pristine studio recordings, a simple dance track with a bangin' drum beat and synth lead that Piane composed using soundbites in lieu of recorded or sampled vocals not only beats, but annihilates the studio recording. Keep in mind, Piane engineered this track for fun.

Is this a sign of trends to come for successful releases from an audio engineer, or is it merely a viral video alongside a well-engineered dance track? You decide.

Below is the above-mentioned video.

WARNING---Contains Adult Content & Language---NSFW



Here's another hilarious adaptation of Bale's shining moment. The above warning still applies, NSFW.

Comment Responses

In response to comments on 'Analog vs. Digital,' I'll briefly attempt to answer your questions.

Insignificant Wrangler said...

I have found, using Pro Tools, that digital music has a terrible time
translating distortion. When I needed to record distortion, I would always start
by getting it on analogue and then transferring the analogue to digital--but
then this caused trouble. Perhaps the software and technology is getting better,
its been a few years since I played with this stuff.

Using digital editing software like ProTools, distortion is much easier to create than it is to capture. Due to the randomness of the soundwaves of distortion, it is difficult to digitally compress the waves in a manner that retains the true sound. Editing suites like ProTools are extremely powerful however, and instruments like these are able to craft wonderful digital sound. But it is offered in tiers with great differences in features. With ProTools you can get an M-Powered, LE, or HD system. M-Powered being the cheapest with the least features and HD being the most expensive with the most features. The more advanced the features, the better quality sound produced.

Musing Azrael said...

This was very interesting to me. I know that some music sounds better than
others, and depending on the source, it may seem richer with no real
explanation, be it the radio, my car stereo, my PC speakers. Is that these
effects, or is it due to the quality of the speakers and reproduction system
perhaps?

The differences in the sonic quality of the music you listen to on a daily basis are due to many things. Most of the differences in the listening situations you mentioned are likely due to the speakers the music is playing through. Also, all mentioned normally offer the user an ability alter the sound further with an equalizer, or EQ. Most of these situations usually have either a CD or MP3 used as the audio source. Radio uses CDs as a source in most cases and the sound is first compressed before being broadcasted. Of course, you also have HD and Satellite radio which offer even more differences. In most cases, the differences you hear are due to the reproduction quality of the sound (speakers and receiver) and the differing characteristics of CD quality and MP3 quality audio. In some cases, you may even be hearing the differences between different bit rates of MP3s.

Belsarius said...

This is something that has always bothered me but I didn't know there was an
actual known reason for it. It seams that whenever I play on my acoustic guitar
the sound has more warmth and tonality than when I play back a recording of
myself playing on the same instrument. I wonder how this effects the way an
electric guitar works. Are the infinite little tones lost when the sound is
amplified or are they still there?

The recording doesn't sound as good because not all of the same frequencies/sound waves are being reproduced. Some of the harmonic frequencies are lost when recorded, that's what adds the 'warmth' to the sound. The loss of quality could also be due whether your acoustic guitar was mic'd to record it or had a direct feed. Electric guitars are different because they use the pickup to'pickup' the sound instead of it reverberating inside the shell of an acoustic guitar. As far as amplification goes, it simply makes the height, or volume, of the wave greater. Only when the wave is amplified to the point where the signal becomes distorted is the quality of sound loss.

vintage rust said...

So, what do you recommend for an incredible listening experience?

No matter what the format, analog or digital, the quality of the listening experience depends upon the quality of the components involved in reproducing the sound for your listening pleasure. In most cases, better quality reproduction means more money, but there are products that reproduce quality sound for less coin. In analog, the components could involve a turntable, tape machine, stylus (needle), and cartridge (needle shell) just to name a few. I'm sure you're probably familiar with the common digital components; CD players, media players on computers, MP3 players, etc. Involved with both are then speakers, or headphones, and amplification. I'm probably just confusing things, but there are so many avenues anyone can take for a great listening experience. My optimal experience would be a well-kept record treated with anti-static on a reasonable turntable using a fairly new stylus heard through some studio quality headphones.

Hi, I'm an MP3. I destroy sound quality.

Today the most common format used to enjoy music is the MP3, short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. Designed by the Moving Picture Experts Group, MP3 is a form of lossy compression used in digital audio encoding. The Group's intent when designing the format was to faithfully reproduce an uncompressed recording using as little storage space as possible.

MP3s are most commonly created by 'ripping' music from a CD. The most common bit rate for an MP3 file is 128kbits/second and to put the difference in perspective, the bit rate for uncompressed music on CD is 1,411.2kb/s. This means that the MP3 file will take up about 1/10 the space as the uncompressed file from the CD, so in a sense it is a compromise of storage space and sound quality. MP3s can be created at several different bit rates ranging from 32kb/s up to 320kb/s. Higher the bit rate, better the sound quality. So next time you're listening to your MP3 player and happen to notice that some songs just 'sound better' than others, remember that what you're hearing is the difference in sound quality between variable bit rates.

It was also the development of MP3s that led to peer-to-peer file sharing and widespread copyright infringement, but that is a can of worms I'll wait to open at a later time.

To recap, the quality of digital music is first degraded by the processes of sampling and anti-aliasing then it is further reduced by the process of compression. The degradation of the sound doesn't have to continue, there are other options available today. There are lossless compression options available as well. FLAC, or Free Lossless Audio Codec, is the most common. FLAC will reduce the storage space needed, but will not sacrifice the integrity of the audio source. Compared to MP3s averaging approximately 10% of the original file size, FLAC results are around 46% of the original file size.

Analog Sound Waves vs. Digital Sound Waves

Expanding on the sound quality topic from an earlier post, I would like to go into further detail on analog sound. The sound you hear on an every day basis is natural sound. It reaches your ears as nature intended. When sound is digitally recorded, many of the sonic nuances of the sound are lost. Let me provide a simple visual example of the differences.

This is an analog sound wave.










This is a digital sound wave.












Now this is a crude example of what happens in a process called sampling. When sampling occurs, small 'samples' of the sound wave are used to represent a larger portion of the wave. Sample rates are measured in Hertz (Hz, cycles per second). In other words, it is how many times the sound wave is split into smaller 'samples' per second to represent the whole sound wave. So the higher the sample rate of a digital recording, the closer that digital sound wave will be to that of the original sound. A familiar example would be that the sampling rate for CDs is 44.1kHz, meaning the sound has been sampled 44,100 times per second. DVDs have an audio sample rate of 48kHz, giving them a higher resolution sound.

Sound can never be truly represented in a digital recording, but sampling isn't the only process that diminishes sound quality. A process called anti-aliasing also occurs with digital sound. Anti-aliasing minimizes distortion artifacts when representing a high resolution signal at a lower resolution. This process is not only used in digital audio, but also with digital photography and computer graphics. in a sense, this process 'smooths' the edges. When this happens in digital audio, many frequencies of the natural sound are lost.

The human hearing range is from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Even though most of the frequencies filtered out in the process are outside of the human range, they include harmonic frequencies within our range. It is these frequencies that add the 'warmth' that is commonly referred to with analog sound.