My plan was to make the sudomini from the dirty electronics manual, however I was unsure about the circuitry shown in the schematics so I decided to first make a prototype on a breadboard.

Below are the steps I took

First place the chip across the middle divider and
connect power to  the bus

take positve bus to ne555′s pin 8 (vcc)

from chip 1(gnd) chain at the end to ground

put a ceramic disk capacitor  0.1 uF connecting pins 1-2

100uf  electrolytic capacitor between 3 and another channel not being used(later connected to positive side of speaker)

put a resistor between pins 7+8, the schematics said to use a 10k resistor  (I used a 100k pot to give more flexibility being able to control the range of pitch)

then connect the channel the electronic capacitor to the positive side channel of the speaker, in this case piezo buzzer

then connect the negative side of the speaker to  pin 1 after 0.1 uF capacitor to ground it.

between positive and ne555 pin 8 , connect a cable running to pin 4. leaving a space before the chip.

take a cable from pin 6 to pin 2 after the disk capacitor

put two jumper camels  at the the top of pins 6+ 7, this is what you complete the circuit with holding one in each hand so your body is the resistor.

Once I had the circuit working and was sure about the wiring I began building my sudomini.

The circuit is exactly the same as the prototype except I used a 8 ohms miniature speaker and as the circuit was going to be mounted underneath the speaker the circuit had to be as small as possible.

I had to gently file between the strips of the chip so the circuit didn’t short out, the same as placing it over the center divide on the breadboard.

the  electrolytic was the attached straight to the positive side of the speaker

pins 6 from the chip went to the isolated bolt and pin 7 to the outside of the tin, so you have to hold these to places to complete the circuit. battery is mounted on the outside for these photos so you can see inside more clearly.

with 1ook pot to change rang of pitch mounted on the side

Sound Designer Ben Burt who is notorious for his work on Star Wars and a number of other great movies was  a major inspiration for this piece,  with his use of Layering and blending everyday objects to create believable yet gripping effects.

Below is a site explaining how Burt created many of  the sounds used in the movie.

http://hem.passagen.se/filmljud/starwars.htm

Ben Burts work for the movie WALL-E is a great example how sound design for animation is so important as there is no real sounds, having to create a world of sound.  Below is a short documentary talking about the Sound Design for WALL-E and the art of recording Foley sounds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A6z8QkVHk4&feature=related

Most of the samples used in my piece where from taken and adapted from Logic Pros sample library, however for the mechanical arms building the robot I recorded my own Foley sounds playing along to the movie. The items I recorded where

electric drill      – changing the torque to get different tones.

video recorder – turning on

video recorder – ejecting video

video recorder – inserting video

Passagen(2006).Sound Design of Star Wars. Available at <http://hem.passagen.se/filmljud/starwars.htm>.[accessed 22/3/2011]

Youtube(2010).WALL-E Special Features Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds From The Sound Up (Part 1). Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A6z8QkVHk4&feature=related>.[accessed 20/3/2011]

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REPORT

The objective for this task was to create the soundtrack for a given scene from terminator.  The visual elements I wanted to highlight where, the movement of the robotic arms, the soldering/ sparks and the end scene as the terminators arm lifts.  A composers technique I adopted for this task was Ben Burt’s use blending real world sounds to create believable and gripping effects, For example how Burtt blended the sound of his TV set and an old projector to create the hum of a light saber.  Burt’s work inspired me to create my own sound FX for the robotic arms, using an electric drill and a cassette player which I recorded and then layered on top of each other.  Studying the work of Ben Burtt also showed me the importance of adding sounds to the off-scene movement to create a more believable environment.  Sequencing techniques used in this task where Logic Pros Time Stretch and Fade Tool helping to fit the sounds to the movement on the screen.  An audio technique learned through this task was the technique mentioned above of layering multiple samples to create more punchy and realistic effects. I believe this task is evidence of practice as research as I have looked into techniques of arranging and creating sound effect for example Ben Burt’s Star Wars, trying to enhance my research by implementing and experimenting with these techniques in my composition. I would give this task around 66 as I believe I have researched and implemented techniques in recording and sequencing for sound-design which is evident in my work.

Word-count: 252

bibliography

Star Wars Episode IV. (1977) [DVD], dir. Lucas, USA: Lucasfilm.

http://hem.passagen.se/filmljud/starwars.htm

items used in my task

• A plastic prototyping board
• 1 CMOS Hex Schmitt Trigger Integrated Circuit
• 100k resistor
• 0.1uf capacitor
• 1ook pot x2
• 100k light sensitive resistor x2
• 2 way gate switch
• Optional: Some small signal diodes, such as 1N914,
• hookup wire.
• A 9-volt battery and connector
• mini jack mono

First I placed the chip onto the breadboard making sure that chip sat across the central divider of the board as show below. I then connected the positive and negative buss to a 9v battery.

I then connected pin 7 to the ground and pin 14 to the positive bus. Also bridging the positive bus so that it runs the whole way across(negative does already)

Between pin 1 and ground  the 0.1uf capacitor is placed. This will determine the range of pitches available  when resistors are added.

then add a 100k resistor between pins 1 and 2.

pin 2 and ground are connected to the headphones or choice of amplification. I at first soldered two crocodile clips two jumper cables to I could amplify the circuit.

this is the basic circuit now working. (should have audio at this point)

MODIFICATIONS

Pitch

the firsts modification was to be able to modulate pitch. So I replaced the 1ook resistor with a 100k pot.

Amp

I then added a 100k light sensitive resistor at the end of the circuit before going to the speaker to control amplitude.

I then replaced the light sensor which was controlling amplitude with a 100k pot, and put a two way switch in so that pitch could be controlled ever with a 100k pot, or the light sensor.

I then connected to jumper cables to a mono jack cable so that I could amplify or record the circuit.

ALL AUDIO WILL BE COMPLIED INTO ONE LABELED DEMO AT THE END

Now my circuit was set up I experimented further for example experimenting with changing the capacitor to a 1uf and 100 Electrolytic capacitor.

I also experimented with using random objects as the resistor. One that worked effectively was a drink can, connecting the lid to one cable and holding the other, so your body is the resistor. depending on how many figures you hold down it changes the resistance, in this case for pitch.  I also noticed how the thumb has the least resistance as it has a major vain in it.

Audio examples will be added soon

This first task was to take apart and circuit bend a radio or musical toy of our choice. I decided to use a simple toy that had a simple audio buffer with multiple samples to create a larger range of sound.

I then carefully took apart my toy and experimented with bridging different locations on the board with my finger, shorting the circuit to find the right places to make my modifications. The bridge which seemed most effective was between the first to pins on the buffer, which correlated with pitch. I then soldered a 100k potentiometer in between the pins.

I then put back together the insides and drilled a whole in the front of the case for the pot to sit.

I then found a second bridge that I believed was effective, which was between the six and seventh, so I soldered another 100k pot there, which seemed to create a fazzing effect. however once I had reassembled the toy, this mod did not seem to work. below is pictures of this attempt anyway.

If I have more time I will try and redo this modification.

Amplifying the toy

task three was to the amplify my chosen toy. To do this I Tested the connection by attaching a separate speaker to the connections of the toy’s speaker. I then soldered to cables to the toys speak connections, so that the internal speak still worked if it was not being amplified. then connected the positive and negative cables to a mini jack connector, so that I could plug most speaks straight into my toy. I then drilled a small hole for the cable to run out.

here is a small video of the circuit-bent toy working.

Danny Elfman’s opening titles to A Simple Plan 1998, with the intros use of dissonant and eerie notation also using pitch bends and slides on the instruments to add to the mood and feel of the track.

Thomas Newman- Root Beer the original score for this scene and the use of percussion to carry the track and his choice of instruments that contrast the typical American family, depicted at the beginning of the movie.

For example my use of Tabla, Djembes and  tune percussion like Koras and Nyatiti.

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Report

The objective for this task was to incorporate percussion into a given scene from American Beauty.  Visual elements I wanted to highlight was how the father becomes hypothesized, especially the close ups shots of their faces highlighted with the use of nontraditional percussion and the use of plucked instruments like the Kora and Nyatiti.  A composers technique I adopted was Danny Elfman’s beginning titles to A Simple Plan and his use of dissonant and eerie notation which I tried to ruffly emulate in the feel of my track.  An audio sequencing technique I used in this task was modulating the tempo of the track to help the music fit the scene.  A new musical technique I applied to this task was having a LFO modulating the pitch of the Nyatiti to create a dissonant effect, sent through a bus to be re-recorded into my arrangement.  I believe this task is evidence of practice as research as I have looked into composers use of percussion in scores,  for example  Thomas Newman’s choice of instruments for American Beauty that oppose the traditional American family, as well as Newman’s use of nontraditional techniques for playing instruments for example incorporating scratches and pitch bends into his scores. I then Developed my research of these techniques by practicing and incorporating these techniques into an original score. I would give this task a mark of around 64, as I believe I have met the criteria for this task, also trying to incorporate and explore new audio and musical techniques for example modulating and re-recording instruments.

word count: 256

Danny A Simple Plan 1998

• American Beauty (1999) [DVD] dir. Mendes,S. USA: DreamWorks Pictures.

• Youtube(2010).Danny A Simple Plan (1998) opening title scene. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz13T6pd_R0>.[accessed 20/3/2011]
• Youtube(2010).American Beauty dance scene. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a90BAwsvlA>.[accessed 20/3/2011]

Danny Elfman’s Batman,  with his use of a technique similar to Smalley’s ‘Square Technique’ to create drama and suspense in the music.  Also Elfman’s use of variations of a theme which overplay and repeat each other in a number of different ways.

Danny Elfman’s Beetlejuice and its use of a two or three note motif (around 0.39) to carry the track heavily inspired by piece

The original soundtrack for the scene I re-scored was also heavy inspiration, with Zimmer’s use of fast motor rhythms.

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Report.

My objective was to write a score implementing woodwind instruments, in this case being a scene from the movie The Incredibles. I First adjusted the tempo of my track so that the key frames where sat on mostly strong beats helping to enhance many of the visual elements, then pizzicato stabs where layered on top to highlight any key frames which were not on the strong beats.  Composers techniques adopted where Elfman’s use of variations of the theme played on different instruments overlapping each other inspired by his scoring for Batman, As well as Hanz Zimmer’s use of quick motor rhythm to carry the pace of the track used in the original soundtrack for the scene.  An audio technique used in this task was to send all the tracks in my project to a bus with a reverb unit to emulate the sounds being played in a large hall.  A new musical technique implemented in this task was slowly layering up large sustained notes of the melody on top of each other to create and enhance dramatic build ups in the scene.  This task is an example of practice as research as I have discovered techniques used in Batman (Elfman.1989), Beetlejuice (Elfman.1988) and The Incredibles (Zimmer. 2004), further researching these techniques by incorporating them into a original composition which shows the use of fast motor rhythms and multiple variations and counter melodies.  I would give myself a mark of around 65-70, as  I believe I have explored multiple composer and audio techniques to meet the task objectives.

word-count 255

Youtube(2010).Batman 1989 Theme. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgpmdqUEQRM>.[accessed 10/4/2011]

Youtube(2009).Beetlejuice -Main Theme. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZktSPrGSck>.[accessed 10/4/2011]

Youtube(2010). The Incredibles Soundtrack #13: 100 Mile Dash . Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IekwaN1xCaU>.[accessed 11/4/2011]

The objective for this task was to compose a score in brass for the chase scene from North By North West. Visual elements I wanted to highlight where, as he has to start running; and as he runs into the field, indicated by a small run up notes inspired by research of John Williams from previous tasks. I also used simple motifs running in fast rhythms and incorporating Smalley’s Line technique to symbolize and enhance the energy and suspense of the chase.  Then as he hides I lowered the dynamics of the piece whilst still trying to keep small burst of tension.  This piece was also clearly influenced by Hanz Zimmer’s The Battle from the movie Gladiator after learning some of his techniques and variations for brass when midi mapping his Score.  A Technique used in this score was panning the instruments so they sat where they would in a orchestra, for example panning the Trombones and Tubas slightly right. A musical technique implemented in this task was using the route note of the piece running on 16ths to help the pace and drama of the piece inspired by Zimmer’s similar technique used in The Battle.  This task is evidence as practice as research as I looked into the different composers techniques mentioned, furthering my research of these techniques by implementing them into my score. I would give myself a mark around 65 as I believe I explored multiple composers and techniques demonstrated in this task.

word-count :243

• Gladiator. (2000) [DVD] dir. R. Scott. USA: Scott Free Productions

• North By Northwest. (1959) [Film] A. Hitchcock. USA: MGM

• Youtube(2009).Gladiator Sound Track -03- The Battle. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAOTSO9ioZk>.[accessed 1/2/2011]

Auto-brief

The objective was to compose a score to a given scene from Psycho. The visual elements I particularly wanted to highlight were;  The cop walking up to the car, with violins being scratched to add the suspense, whilst violins trills slowly layer up the notes of a major 7th to create the build up of suspence; The scene as she wakes up and you see the shots of there faces where I tried to highlight the shock and drama in the scene with stabs of chords inspired by Bernard Herman’s same technique used in his works such as vertigo and Psycho and Igor Stravinsky’s similar technique previously used in The Rite of Spring.  In this task I incorporated Herman’s use of stabbing chords to create drama in the piece, also incorporating his use of major third with a major seventh ontop, to help my piece sound as if it belonged to the film.  A sequencing technique used in this task was the EXS samplers editing window being able to trigger group changes in the samples to create more timbrel changes in my piece.  A musical technique used in this task was Herman’s chord techniques explored through midi mapping the scores of vertigo and Psycho. This is evidence of practice as research as I studied the composers mentioned above then furthered my research by experimenting with their techniques in a score.  I would give myself a mark around 65 because I believe I have explored and met all the criteria.

word count 254

• Hitchcock,A.Vertigo.(1958)[DVD] USA: Universal

• Patricio López-Guzmán . (1995). A case study of Bernard Hermann. Available: http://hitchcock.tv/essays/herrmann/herrcase2.html. Last accessed 25th Feb 2010.

• Youtube(2009).Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (Theme). Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFHIZLvxJKY&feature=related>.[accessed 25/2/2011]
• Youtube(2008).Disney’s Fantasia 2000 – Firebird . Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FWq17CT6Cs>.[accessed 25/3/2011]

John Williams was another heavy influence of this task as his score show the importance of music in film and set the emotion in the film. A great example is this video of the Jaws chase scene, one without music, one with Williams score for the scene Man Against Beast.

This scene clearly shows the importance of music, with the score conjuring all the emotion in the scene. The best example being the use of notes transposing upwards to enhance the build up of emotion before a dramatic scene, in this being the shooting of jaws clearly present at 2.28.

I was also heavily inspired by the use of fast percussion found in most chase scenes, however as we were only allowed to use piano in this task I tried to replicate this by the use of a pattern running in 16th notes to work as the rhythmical element.  I then used small hits of notes on the octave above to highlight the visual aspects of the movie. I also decided to use a fast tempo to help reflect the pace and feel of the scene.

Second attempt/ modification

I was fond of the simple motif used in my first attempt at scoring the chase scene, however the length of repetition was too long did not build with the piece. Therefore I decided to transpose my melody each time there is a change in scene, helping to disperse repetition.  In this second attempt I also took a lot more inspiration from John William’s and his use of transposing upward to signify dramatic changes. This was reflected in my score in two man ways, for example the use of quick successions of notes running up the notes of the scale, first example being the dogging of pedestrians (0.08). This Also inspired how I transpose my melody up a semitone at a time to build the anticipation as the bat mobile rides head on towards the truck.

Youtube(2009).Soundtrack Song to Own: Like Dog Chasing Cars. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ynjjk2c7Y&feature=related>.[accessed 18/3/2011]

Youtube(2009).Jaws:The Importance of John Willams. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2K-YedETiI&feature=related>.[accessed 23/3/2011]

AUTOBRIEF

The objective for this task was to write a score to a given chase scene.  Though I tried to highlight all visual elements in the scene there were some more significant scenes which I depicted in my score; For example the dodging of pedestrians in the mall, the shooting of the skip in the alley and the taking down of the Joker’s truck.  A composers technique adopted in this score was the use of very dissonant notes and melodies inspired from Bernard Herman’s scoring for Vertigo, however my melody was written at a faster pace to highlight the fell and energy of the chase scene.  A sequencing technique which I had not used previously was Logic Pros step sequencer aiding my piano playing skills, also as it was played on the keyboard the slight variations in velocities helped to create a more humanistic feel to the piece.  A musical technique explored in this task was the use of the notes quickly running upwards through the scale to indicate when something was going to happen.  This task is an example of practice as research as I explored and investigated John William’s previous scores for example Man Against Beast written from Jaws and his use of notes transposing upwards to signify danger, further researching and exploring these techniques in my score.  I would award myself a mark around 65%, as I believe I explored composers and their techniques for scoring chase scenes, showing a high understanding of the objectives in this task portrayed in the final composition.

word count 256

• Nolan,C. The Dark Knight. (2008) [DVD] USA: Warner Bros

• Hitchcock,A.Vertigo.(1958)[DVD] USA: Universal

Web References

• Youtube(2006).Vertigo start titles. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM>.[accessed 19/3/2011]
• Youtube(2009).Jaws Score ‘Man Against Beast’. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM>.[accessed 10/4/2011]>

THEME

This is my theme in F melodic minor (descending), consisting of the notes F, G sharp, A sharp C sharp and D sharp.  Incorporating a mixture of Jack  Smalley’s Circle and Square techniques. 

Theme by Sbateman

Variation 1

This is the original theme with certain notes in the theme being repeated, introducing a subtle sense of Smalley’s Line technique

There is also a counter melody playing on top, using the notes in the melody in a descending fashion, Inspired by Elfman’s scoring of Batman.

This is the counter melody

Variation1 by Sbateman

Variation 2.

This is a rhythmical variation with the same melody moved to the weak beats(2,4).

Variation2 by Sbateman

Variation 3

This is another rhythmical variation this time augmenting the length of the first note, then the rest of the notes in the theme hit a short cluster near the end of the bar

Variation3 by Sbateman

Variation 4

this is another rhythmical variation this time introducing a stronger sense of smalleys Circle effect with the use of small steps flowing around each other.

Variation4 by Sbateman

Variation 5

Another rhythmical variation this time introducing Smalley’s Line technique repeating notes to create more tension. This variation also has large crescendo to add to the effect.

Variation5 by Sbateman

auto-brief

The objective of the task was to create six different variations of my theme, looking into the different possible types of variations.  The notation and feel of the piece was inspired by Thomas Newman’s ‘Dead Already‘ from the movie American Beauty;With my melody played on tuned percussion with a similar motif.  Basic EQ was added to the instrument to brighten the wanted parts of the spectrum and mute any unwanted frequencies.  A small amount of reverb was also added to create the effect that it was played in a concert hall.  logic 9′s score editor was also used, instead of my normal preference the piano roll, for instance using the crescendo tool on the 5th variation.  A musical technique that I had not used before was the use of a counter melody playing the notes ,or majority of notes, in a descending pattern inspired by Danny Elfmans scoring for Batman. This task is evidence as practice as research as I looked into how the different composers mentioned above created variations of themes, furthering my researching by experimenting with these techniques in my score. I would give myself a mark around 63 for this task as this work shows a good understanding in techniques used to create different types of variations.  However the music theory is my week point, therefore more time could have been spent on the theory side, which would have helped me to create a greater amount variations, for example variations in key.

word-count 245

American Beauty (1999) [DVD] dir. Mendes,S. USA: DreamWorks Pictures.

Youtube(2010).Batman 1989 Theme. Available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgpmdqUEQRM>.[accessed 10/4/2011]