Alternative voices for electronic sound
Dan Trueman, Curtis Bahn, Perry Cook · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2000
Through the design and construction of unique sound diffusion structures, the nature of electronic sound can be reinvented. When allied with new sensor technologies, these structures offer alternative modes of interaction with techniques of sonic computation. This paper describes several recent applications of Geosonic Speakers (multichannel, outward-radiating geodesic speaker arrays) and Sensor-Speaker-Arrays (SenSAs: combinations of various sensor devices with outward-radiating multichannel speaker arrays). Geosonic Speakers, building on previous studies of the directivity of acoustic instruments (the NBody Project), attempt to reproduce some of the diffusion characteristics of conventional acoustic instruments; they engage the reverberant qualities of performance spaces, and allow electronic and acoustic instruments to blend more readily. In collaboration with the U.S. Enclosure Company, over a dozen Geosonic Speakers were produced, varying in size from 8 to 14 in. Their use in the performance and recording of two major new works by composer Steven Mackey is detailed. The electronic improvisation ensemble ‘‘Interface’’ has integrated a family of these Geosonic Speakers into their standard setup, completely replacing their previous P.A. diffusion model; this has encouraged them to substantially reinvent their approach to the performance of live interactive computer music.