Music from Sand
- Behance.netProject Featured On:Behance.net — 2/13/09
- I had some sandbags in the backyard that I used in November during a rainy day. I was moving them to a different spot when I heard the noise of the sand. I thought that maybe I could try a new sound design technique so I bought some piezo film transducers and started to experiment with them.
The entire track is created only out of tuned sand tones. No additional sounds or waveforms.
I emphasized the inner notes of the sand grains and mapped them on a sampler as a series of instruments. The grooves are all played live with various techniques, including taping two piezo films to my fingers.
I'd like to dedicate this work to Mike Oldfield. When I was a child I listened to his music and it opened my mind. That experience triggered my life passion to create the means to access sounds we've never heard before.
Update 06/08/09.
Music From Sand is now available as a high-quality mp3 download. This version is a full track, longer than the version in the video. - Video
- Pictures
The McIntyre Acoustic Feather contact microphone. This is designed to be used with a mandolin, but it sounded great also used with the sand.
Sampling the basic sand tones.- Taping the DT Series Piezo Film to my fingers. These are mainly designed for industrial applications, but I thought that I could use them to turn my hands into percussive instruments. I already have some other ideas on how to use this technique.
- At the beach, setting up the portable recorder. I was listening to the track playing from an iPod, and playing the sand in sync with the music.
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