Software Set-Up
Main Audio Visual Patch
The Main Audio Visual Max 7 patch distorted the video feed from the Logitech C270 HD webcam in correspondence to the volume of sound coming into the Aston Origin condenser microphone. The concept behind the actions of the patch was, that our words, whether taken out of context, or just taken as a snapshot of who we are, can distort the perception people have of us.
The main components of this patch were:
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Render toggle (turns video feed rendering on/off)
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3D audio reactive on/ off toggle (turns 3D audio reactive effect on/ off)
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Grid on toggle (turns grid effect on/ off for video feed)
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Invert 3D effect toggle (turns inverted 3D effect on/ off for video feed)
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3D intensity selector number box (lets you select 3D intensity level for video feed)
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Colour scheme type selector (pick between three colour scheme settings for video feed)
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Low quality (640 x 320) video selector (reduces the resolution of the video feed to low quality)
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High quality (1280 x 720) video selector (increases the resolution of the video feed to high quality)
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Current resolution setting display (displays the current resolution of the video feed)
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Audio on/ off toggle (turns audio on/off)
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Efx intensity selector number box (lets you select efx intensity level)
Vox Effects Patch
The Vox Effects Max 7 patch distorted any vocalisations made by visitors, which would enter the installation through the Aston Origin condenser microphone. Effects were applied to the signal to further disorientate the visitor. The parameters of each processor component were automatically and randomly changed by randomisation components within the patch to make the experience unique to each visitor and to make it unpredictable and disorientating.
This patch had a main Toggle object, that when pressed, switched on/ off all three effects processor components and the audio input/output. An ezadc~ object received the initial signal that was coming from the Aston Origin condenser microphone.
The signal was then routed to the first effects unit, Chorus. This effect had a separate arrangement of objects that controlled the randomisation of the width of the chorus. The start of this arrangement utilised a Toggle object that switched on/off when the main Toggle in the patch is turned on/ off. This was routed to a Metronome that sent out a bang every nine seconds. A Drunk object then randomly varied the output number by increments of 20 or less. Altogether, this arrangement of objects randomly changed the width of the chorus every nine seconds by 20 steps or less. This method was replicated separately for each effects unit in the patch. The other effects units were a Frequency Shifter and a Smooth Delay. The randomly affected parameter on the Frequency Shifter was the frequency itself and for the delay unit was the time of the decay.
The audio, after being routed through each effects unit, was routed to a stereo gain~ controller object before being received by the ezdac~ audio output object. The audio signal out of the patch would then be played through the KRK Rockit 6 monitors.
The Audio Obscura team wanted the Vox Effects patch to express the ways your words can be twisted by others to have a negative impact on you.
Footsteps Patch
The Footsteps Max 7 patch contained the sounds of individual footsteps on cobblestones (common in Edinburgh), which were triggered every time the visitor’s foot was brought down into contact with the platform, with sufficient force.
The signal coming into the Footsteps Max 7 patch on the first MacBook Pro was received by an ezadc~ object. This was then routed to a vst~ object that was selected as a limiter to reduce the signal level. This was necessary as the input signal could become overpowering depending on the power of the visitors’ footsteps on the platform. This was then passed through a meter~ object, which monitored the level coming in and registered an output number between 0 and 1, which would then be displayed on the number object below. This number then ran into a past object, which notified a button object below when the specified threshold (0.2) was passed. This button object then switched on a toggle object. This toggle object sent a signal to a send object. This was connected to a separate arrangement of objects that would randomly determine the specific audio file to be played when appropriate.
When the signal passed from the send object to the separate arrangement of objects, it would trigger a button object. This sent a bang into a random object, which output a random number between 1 and 10, and this triggered 1 of 10 footsteps on cobblestones audio files in the umenu object below. This process occurred for each footstep the visitor made, meaning the specific footstep audio clip being played was randomly selected each time. To play the audio file, the umenu object was routed to an sfplay~ object. The signal also went through a gain~ component which we used to set the gain at this stage and then an ezadc~ component which was there to output the audio after the process was complete.
Audio Assets
To create the footsteps on cobblestones audio assets for the Footsteps patch, samples were taken from ‘FreeSound.org’, which were submitted by user ‘jobel0092’. These were then imported into a Pro Tools session, split up to make 10 individual footstep audio files, and processed.
Footsteps Output & Soundscape Logic Pro X Session
The Logic Pro X Footsteps Output & Soundscape session hosted processing of the footsteps audio and introduced the Shepard’s tone.
The Space Designer reverb was applied to the footstep audio to give the illusion that the footsteps were being made in a bigger area than the size of the platform suggested. Delay was added through the Delay Designer, which was set to the 1/32 dotted sweeping pan setting, and it had a randomly generated pre-delay time. The delay itself and the randomly generated pre-delay time gave the user the impression that there were other users walking around the platform with them and helped to further disorientate the visitor. The concept behind the pre-delay was the unwanted disruption that can arise from the intrusion of other people into your life. The overwhelming sensation of your physical space being unexpectedly encroached upon, leading to confusion, marries with the idea that the impact of other people’s intrusion into your life may cause you to become confused as to which paths you should take. A cut at 500Hz from the channel equalizer allowed the sound to be tailored to remove any unpleasant frequencies the footstep sound contained. The sound was also pitched shifted down 10 semitones, with the processor set to 50% wet.
The Shepherd’s tone was used as a soundscape for the installation. This is a consistent tone generated by four sine waves, which are separated by octaves, and that rise and fall in volume to give the illusion that the pitch of the sound is constantly falling. The Shepherd’s tone was included to represent the downward spiral that combinations of negative influences can cause in people.
Parameters of the effects were controlled by automation on the channel, providing an impression of randomisation. A phaser was used to allow the audio from the soundscape to morph and develop over time. Finally, sub-bass was added to add depth and weight to the audio.
Zoom G1Xon Guitar Multi-effects Pedal Settings
The footstep and Shepard’s tone audio were then further processed by the Zoom G1Xon guitar multi-effects pedal. Within this pedal there was a pre-set effect loaded (although this could be changed by the visitor easily by pressing up or down on the pedal pre-set buttons).
The underlying concept behind the footsteps part of the installation was that your actions can have a greater impact on yourself and on those around you than you expect, as other factors can react with them. It suggests that you need to be careful of where you tread, metaphorically, as your actions could have significant consequences for yourself and those around you.