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Idea  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.

Production  
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.

Comments  
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. If you have questions or you just want to say hi please write at info@diegostocco.com

Diego

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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Rajesh kanthan
Rajesh kanthan, 01-24-10
Great stuff, im a very big nature sound lover...thanks to u...keep ti up...
Thais Louise Tréz
;) you're welcome Diego! when I see such a beautiful work as yours, I feel like giving something back. Wish you the best!
Diego Stocco
Diego Stocco, 11-23-09
Thanks Thais, I'll take a look at that : )
Thais Louise Tréz
Hey Diego, Maybe you already know EvoMUSART 2010!! ... is the eighth European Event on Evolutionary and Biologically Inspired Music, Sound, Art and Design. Following the success of previous editions and the growth of interest in the field, the main goal of EvoMUSART 2010 is to bring together researchers who are using biologically inspired techniques for artistic tasks, providing the opportunity to promote, present and discuss ongoing work in this area. EvoMUSART 2010 will be held from 7-9 April, 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey as part of the European Conference on the Applications of Evolutionary Computation, EvoApplications 2010. Further information, including the Online Submission Details, can be found on the following pages: Evo*2010: http://www.evostar.org EvoMUSART2010: http://dces.essex.ac.uk/research/evostar/evomusart.html
Robin Good
Robin Good, 10-27-09
genial!
Davide di Tria
Davide di Tria, 09-30-09
tu sei assolutamente un genio ragazzo mio! continua così!
Ivan Davila
Ivan Davila, 09-29-09
That is ART, right there!!!! Fantastic piece Diego.
Mirosedina
Mirosedina , 07-28-09
like)))
Stefano Maglovsky
very good!
Ryan Rudman
Ryan Rudman, 07-17-09
very cool and original!
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