BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
PROFESSOR: JESSICA THOMPSON
OFFICE: GLN 116
OFFICE HOURS: TUES/THURS, 3-5PM
E-MAIL: JESSICA.THOMPSON@BROCKU.CA
C ALENDAR
STUDIO: PL310, WH206, GL 162/A
TIME: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS, 9:30AM - 3PM
CLASS BLOG: HTTP://VISA2P99.WORDPRESS.COM
DESCRIPTION :
Approaches to the conceptualization and production of sound recording, notation, field recording, foley
arts, soundtrack production, experimental music and performance and contemporary sound art.
o
o
o
o
Lectures + lab, 10 hours per week
Restriction: open to visa (single or combined majors)
Prerequisite: visa 2p97, iasc 1f00 or permission of the instructor.
Materials fee required. Students are responsible for the additional cost of project-specific
materials.
C OURSE
DESCRIPTION
Introduction to Sound Design is an interdisciplinary studio course that explores the use of sound in
historical and contemporary modes of music, art, film, video, and performance. Students will explore the
history of Sound Art, Experimental Music, Avant-gardism, basics in Musicology and link these discursive
elements to the fabrication of sound by various means including digital, analog and performative
techniques.
C OURSE
OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to give students a theoretical, historical and practical introduction to sound as a
creative medium. Through a series of readings, discussions, and collaborations, we will investigate the
ways that sound influences our understanding of space, whether experienced through contemporary art,
music, film, games, or public space. This course has a special focus on interactive practice, and how sound may
be explored through basic electronics, installation and performance, wearable technology, mobile storytelling and
locative media.
R EQUIRED
TEXT
There is no one definitive text for this course. Instead, you will be given weekly reading assignments to
complement course work. Readings will be discussed during each class, and must be completed before
the date they are listed on the schedule.
Texts will include excerpts from the following, as well as others:
Stephen Ascher and Edward Pincus The Filmmaker’s Handbook
Michael Bull and Les Back The Auditory Culture Reader
Michael Bull Sounding out the City: Personal Stereos and the Management of Everyday Life
Nicholas Collins Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking
Thom Holmes Electronic and Experimental Music: Pioneers in Technology and Composition
David Miles Huber Modern Recording Techniques, Sixth Edition
Douglas Kahn Noise Water Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
Brandon LaBelle Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art
R. Murray Schafer; The Soundscape
S CHEDULE
Note: While we will make every effort to follow the syllabus as outlined here, this schedule is subject to
change, (and usually does). Classes will take place in the locations noted. Notes, location changes and other
amendments to the schedule will be posted to http://visa2p99.wordpress.com
R S Lecture Studio
R A Readings Assignments
1A Tues May 7
PL310
Course
Overview
/
Class
Introductions
L The Soundscape + Acoustic Ecology
How we hear
Frequency & Amplitude
Sound Categorization (Schafer)
Features of the Soundscape
The World Soundscape Project
S Equipment Policies (GLN 118)
Soundwalk (outside)
R
Tonkiss, Fran. Aural Postcards, Sound, Memory and
the City. (optional)
A
1B
Thurs May 9
GLN 162/ PL310
L Microphones + Field Recording
R
Construction Types
Directional Response and Pickup Patterns
Frequency Response
Balanced vs. Unbalanced Signals
Mono, Stereo and Multi-Track Recording
Analogue vs. Digital Recording
Sample Rate and Bit Depth
File Formats
Mic Placement and Proximity
S Audio Editing 1 (Audacity)
I/O Settings
Sample Rate and Bit Depth
Editing Tools
Contact Mic Workshop
Schafer. “Introduction” The Soundscape
A
S OUND M APS & A COUSTIC I NVENTORY
[ INTRO ]
Russolo. The Art of Noises
Ashcher & Pinchus. “The Filmmakers Handbook,
(Chapters 10 & 11)
Huber. “Microphones: Design and Placement.”
Modern Recording Techniques (optional)
Collins. “How to Solder: An Essential Skill.”
Handmade Electronic Music. (optional)
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
2A Tues May 14
PL310
Sound
+
Film
L Casual, Semantic & Reduced Listening
Active & Passive Perception
Spatial Perception, Localization & Depth
S Audio Editing 2 (Platform TBC)
Soundscape Design
Effects & EQ
Panning & Spatialization
R A 2B
Thurs May 16
PL310/ WH 206
L T HE G EAR Q UIZ
R
Foley + Voiceover
Footsteps, Cloth, Props, Environments
Let’s Punch Cornstarch! Impacts and
Collision
S Recording Techniques
Sign up for Mid-Term Meeting
A
Chion, Audio –Vision (Chapters 1, 2 + 4)
S OUNDSCAPE C OMPOSITION [ INTRO ]
TBC
B RING 5 objects that you can use for the creation
of sound effects
S OUND M APS + A COUSTIC I NVENTORIES D UE
R ETURNING A SOUND [ INTRO ]
3A Tues May 21
3B
Thurs May 23
All Labs and Studios are accessible with your Swipe Card
L M ID -T ERM M EETINGS (S KYPE OR E MAIL )
R
Sign up on May 16
S O PEN L AB
A
4A Tues May 28
Location TBA
L Musique Concrete, John Cage + Fluxus
Radio Music Performance
Fluxus Performances
R
Holmes. Musique Concrete and the Ancient Art of
Tape Composition. Electronic and Experimental
Music
(Note: This is the LAST DAY for
withdrawal without academic penalty and
last day to change from credit to audit
status for duration 2 courses.)
S Interactive Sound Workshop, 1
F ILM - American Masters John Cage: I Have Nothing
to Say and I Am Saying It
(Running time: 1 hour)
LaBelle. Happenings, Environments and Fluxus.
Background Noise (optional)
A
S OUNDSCAPE C OMPOSITION D UE
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
Introduction to Electronics
Capacitance, Resistance, Ohm’s Law
The Mighty Squeak: Simple Oscillators
Sensors + Switches
4B
Thurs May 30
Location TBA
Site-Specific
Practices
&Locative
Media
L Mobile Sound
iPod Culture
Planning Interactivity – Interaction Models
S Interactive Sound Workshop, Part 2
Hacking Consumer Electronics (and
bending them to your will)
Wearable Media – Intro to Soft Switches
5A Tues June 4
Location TBA
L O PEN L AB AND C ATCH U P D AY
S Returning a Sound Site Visits and One-onOne Meetings
5B
Thurs June 6
Various
L R ETURNING A S OUND : P RESENTATIONS
( ALL DAY , SITE - SPECIFIC )
S A TTENDANCE
H ACKING THE B ODY [ INTRO ]
B RING a Radio. Battery-powered is best, or bring
an extension cord. We will not be hacking your
radio.
R
Behrendt, A Taxonomy of Mobile Sound Art.
Bull. “Reconfiguring the ‘Site’ and ‘Horizon’ of
Experience” Sounding out the City: Personal Stereos
and the Management of Everyday Life
A
R ETURNING A SOUND PROPOSAL D UE
BRING
something to hack + an old article of
clothing you can turn into an artwork
R
A
H ACKING THE B ODY D UE
R
A
R ETURNING A S OUND W RITEUP D UE
POLICY
The Department of Visual Arts policy on attendance in the Studio Courses:
Although a student will not be assessed a numerical grade loss for failure to attend classes, a student who
misses in excess of four classes in an “F” course or 2 classes in a “P” course is understood to have failed
the course. This policy also recognizes that exceptional circumstances can arise. Exemptions from this
policy will be considered by the instructor upon notification by the student with accompanying
documentation that gives reasonable justification for missed classes.
* Students who miss class must confer with other students to find what they have missed in class. It is the
student’s responsibility to stay on-task and not get behind in university classes.
A SSIGNMENTS
All assignments are due on the announced dates and will be introduced on the days identified in the
schedule. Students will be provided with a handout of the assignment for reference. It is the students’
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
responsibility to ensure that he or she understands the assignments and that any questions or concerns
are brought forward to the instructor in writing, or during office hours.
All assignments are open for interpretation, and students are encouraged to be innovative in their
approach to the material. If you would like to modify the parameters of an assigned project in order to
draw from your own skill set or research interests, please provide a brief outline to the instructor for
approval by the next course day after the project is assigned.
If assignments are late, students will be deducted grades in conjunction with university standards
at 5% PER DAY . Work turned in 5 days past the deadline will not be accepted. The most significant thing
a student can to impede his or her success is not to hand in projects on time. Exception to this policy may
be made on compassionate grounds for situations that are documented and communicated as early as
possible.
E VALUATION
Students will be evaluated for projects based on the requirements laid out in each project description. The
successful completion of this course requires a degree of self-direction, inventiveness and ambition in
pursuing the projects. Students are rewarded for challenging themselves in every possible way:
developing technical skills in new areas, designing and following through challenging assignments.
Simply said, students are rewarded for creating ambitious work. A student’s personal growth, work
ethic, and effort are as important as the actual finished assignments.
S OUND M APS + A COUSTIC I NVENTORIES
T HE G EAR Q UIZ
S OUNDSCAPE C OMPOSITION
H ACKING THE B ODY
R ETURNING A S OUND F INAL PROJECT
P ROJECT PROPOSAL & W RITE - UP
15%
5%
20%
20%
20%
5%
D ISCUSSION AND PARTICIPATION
15%
G RADING
Whenever possible, assignments will be graded within 2 weeks of receipt. Your grades will be provided
at two points: during midterm meetings (week 3) and right before your final project (week 5). Any
students with concerns regarding their standing can check with me at any time for a sense of where they
stand.
E QUIPMENT
The Department has a variety of portable sound recorders and microphones for you to use for this course.
In order to borrow equipment you must fill out an equipment card with the Media Resources
Coordinator. Students must adhere to the Department of Visual Arts Media Equipment Loan Policy.
Copies of this policy will be provided the first day and will be posted online at
<http://visa2p99.wordpress.com/gear/>
M ATERIALS
Please bring the following materials to class, starting in class 2:
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
1. Headphones, ideally closed-back studio monitors, but ear buds are fine as well
2. Please set up a free Dropbox account for storage <https://www.dropbox.com>, or bring a
portable hard drive (at least 32 GB)
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
S TUDIO A CCESS
Students may have access to labs and studios throughout the week with their swipe cards. Students can work
on weekends as well by calling campus security to get in.
D ISCLAIM ER
ABOUT SENSITIVE M ATERIAL
Due to the nature of the themes of this course, there will occasionally be an inclusion of sensitive Material
presented in lectures, videos, films, readings, and discussion (i.e.: themes surrounding issues of sexuality,
gender, politics, race, religion, etc.). By remaining in the course, a student is understood to have given
their informed consent to exposure to such materials. Furthermore, it is paramount that students
familiarize themselves with legal matters around copyright and pornographic laws. These subjects will be
dealt with during class time.
Students are encouraged to explore and research these sensitive topics in a serious and respectful
manner. Students must understand, however, that any acts of hate crime will not be tolerated in this
class. Discussions on this subject will take place during class time to help define various forms of “hatecrimes”. Anyone who chooses to ignore this warning will be expelled from this class.
P LAGIARISM
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. You must cite all work and ideas which are not your own. See
Student Calendar for guidelines. <http://www.brocku.ca/webcal/2012/undergrad/areg.html>
C OMPUTER
USE
Visual Arts classes are designated "electronics free zones" at the discretion of each instructor. Because
electronic devices are a necessary and mandatory part of this course, the policy for use of electronics
devices is as follows:
•
During class times, computers are to be used for class-related activity only. Class-related
activities include taking notes, bookmarking online references and resources, completing
assignments, or doing course-related research.
•
If a student repeatedly uses a computer or mobile phone for non-related activity, such as social
networking, browsing, texting, chatting with other students, or completing other assignments,
that student will be asked to leave the class.
Students may feel free to use computers for non-related activities before class, and during morning and
afternoon breaks. Please turn off any mobile devices before the start of class.
BROCK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
SPRING 2013
VISA 2P99: INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN
A PPENDIX A: G RADES
The following grades are awarded for undergraduate courses:
A
90 - 100
A
80 - 89
B - 70 to
79
C - 60 to
69
D - 50 to
59
F - 49 or
lower
General Marking Rubric
Reserved for students where
work is of outstanding
quality that provides clear
evidence of a rare talent for
the subject and of an original
and/or incisive mind.
Awarded for excellent,
accurate work in which
evidence of a certain flair for
and comprehension of the
subject is clearly perceptible.
Indicates competent work
that shows a sound grasp of
the course goals without
being distinguished.
2P99 Project Marking Rubric
Broad experimentation, imaginative problem solving and
conceptual rigor have lead to something exceptional. The
student has pushed and pulled the artwork and the ideas that
support it into a visually rich artwork with layered meaning.
The work demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of
visual elements and design and it displays sophistication and
skill with the media. The work results from an exploration of
several potential options that have generated many ideas.
There is evidence of novel combinations of ideas, connections
to previous knowledge and a demonstrated understanding of
the relevant critical discourses.
The work has begun to push the conceptual dimensions of the
project, but with a little more effort, it would have been
outstanding conceptually and artistically. The work
demonstrates knowledge of the formal elements of art and the
craftsmanship is good. There is a strong sense of the work’s
potential that could have been met with more work and
greater depth of conceptual analysis.
Represents work of
The work is average. The basic practical and conceptual terms
adequate quality, which
of the project were fulfilled and the work meets the minimum
suffers from incompleteness
standards of artistic and technical skill.
or inaccuracy.
Given where the minimum
The work did not meet the minimum standards for artistic,
requirements of a course are
technical or conceptual skill.
barely satisfied.
Means that minimum requirements have not been met and no credit has been given for the
course.
For more information on Grading and Student Evaluation at Brock University, please see the University
Calendar, Academic Regulations and University Policies, Section VI
<http://www.brocku.ca/webcal/2012/undergrad/areg.html#sec61>