NX Records
25/01/19
Notes/Reflections:
i began without an introduction, interrupting audience conversations with sudden, loud, microphone feedback
i much prefer starting unannounced like this
it adds an immediacy to the performance that i feel is lost with a formal introduction
in future, I'd like to experiment with using the sounds of the audience to trigger feedback
i could achieve this by slowly raising the microphone gain until the sound of someone talking, coughing, etc tipped the system into feeding back
this would be particularly effective if the audience could discern an imprint of this initial trigger sound in the loop, making them suddenly aware of their agency (Emmerson, 2007, p.3) in the performance
i disconnected from the PA system by unplugging the audio jack from my laptop
this caused a dramatic transformation of the spatial axis, (Frengel, 2010) due to a sudden repositioning of the actual source location (ibid)
the behaviour of the feedback was also altered, owing to the difference in frequency response between the two different sets of speakers, as well as the significant shortening of distance between microphone and speaker
the sudden shifting of sound source seemed to engage the audience
next, I experimented with gradually closing the laptop lid
this filtered the feedback, changing its pitch and behaviour
eventually, I closed the lid completely
i was using the application 'InsomniaX' (James, 2013) to disable 'lid sleep'
this caused the laptop body to resonate, momentarily transforming it into a kind of acoustic/electronic hybrid instrument
the audience seemed surprised by this
i think most people expect that closing a laptop will stop any process it is running at that time
i started to play with plugging and unplugging the audio jack to create loud clicking/clipping sounds
will this eventually damage the audio input on my laptop?
is there a less harmful way to achieve the same effect?
i stood up and walked over to one of the PA speakers with the laptop closed
i held it against a PA speaker, curious to hear how this would effect the feedback
i then placed the laptop on top of the speaker and continued to play
as expected, the microphone feedback dominated the synthetic sounds
perhaps in future I could do an entire performance with my laptop resting on a speaker
later in the performance I began to move the laptop (closed) around the table it was resting on, using the distance between its microphone and the PA to alter the feedback
the audience seemed fascinated by this and closely watched every movement
i haven't experienced engagement this tangible since using extended techniques on the acoustic guitar
this is clearly an efficient strategy for liveness in laptop performance, and one that I will continue to explore
'Corpora Aliena'
IKLECTIK Art Lab
26/01/19
Notes/Reflections:
unplugging my laptop from the PA was more effective in this venue
this was due to the speakers being located in the far corners of the performance space
the sudden cut from a high-quality, wide stereo image to one that was low-quality and narrow felt quite violent
i dragged the mixing desk across the stage in order to get closer to one of the PA speakers
this allowed me play more with microphone proximity
this felt engaging to me, and seemed to have a similar effect on the audience
i require a longer audio cable so that I have more freedom of movement
can i go wireless?
standing up with a laptop, suddenly the performance becomes something else
a wall is broken
a layer of artifice is removed
Some feedback on the performance from the organiser (demonstrating engagement):
"Hi James It was great to finally meet you and thank you for giving such an incredible performance on Saturday night. I really liked what you did and how you had these long periods of silence that were broken up with explosions of sounds. What was also successful was how you contrasted sounds coming from your computer speakers with sounds coming from the PA at Iklectik creating an interesting movement of the sounds within the space of the auditorium. It really was something. I tried to take photos of you during your performance but I became too absorbed in the music and so couldn’t continue. Thank you again."
(B. Living, personal communication, January 28, 2019)
Brunel University Alumni Concert 16/02/19
Notes/Reflections:
sliding my chair across the floor triggered feedback
the causality between these events was evident
was the audience aware that they can trigger the feedback themselves?
do they feel this is prohibited?
placed laptop on speaker
does the audience understand audio feedback?
i spoke to an audience member afterwards
at first, they thought something had gone wrong and that I was at the speaker to fix the problem
this is great
i like to create this kind of ambiguity
playing with the distance between the laptop and the speaker
making the feedback relationship tangible
laptop speakers are very quiet when the lid is closed
audience member leant forward to hear better
this feels like good evidence of engagement
programme a patch that can move the microphone feedback from speaker to speaker if playing stereo
i implied with my body language that the performance had concluded
the audience clapped
their applause triggered the microphone feedback
play with this more
sometimes the microphone will amplify my key presses and trackpad clicks while I operate the laptop
this adds to the sense of liveness
Click a photo to enlarge it
Hundred Years Gallery
23/02/19
Notes/Reflections:
i purchased a longer audio cable
laptop on drawers at back of room
feeding back with amp at front of room
audience chairs facing front
i sit amongst the audience while the loop continues
it's ambiguous as to whether the performance has started or not
people are still talking
somebody tells his friends to be quiet
i’m enjoying watching people navigate the ambiguous situation.
i walk to the guitar amp
start playing with tone and volume dials
this is not what is usually expected of a laptop performance
it’s still ambiguous whether or not the performance has begun
do people think I am performing, or just sound-checking?
using microphone feedback allows me to use the speaker itself as an instrument
playing with the settings (eq, gain, effects etc) has a noticeable effect on the feedback loop
experiment more with this in the future
site-specific availabilism (Pfahler, 2015)
i return to the back of the room, and my laptop
it's interesting that people keep looking at the front of the room even though the performer is at the back
i walk upstairs with the laptop and continue playing
somebody laughs
i’m no longer in the room, but I”m still controlling the sound
the audience continues to look forwards, as if the amp is the performer
extreme dislocation between sound source and performer/instrument
someone begins dancing
did my moving around allow them to feel able to move also?
i return downstairs and sit on cube in corner
this feels informal
moving laptop closer to amp tangibly changes feedback behaviour
call and response with hip-hop gig next door
someone at the front seems to notice, nodding their head in time
i go back upstairs to play with microphone/speaker proximity and how it effects the feedback behaviour
audience still looking forwards
i return downstairs
place the closed laptop at the back of the room
set a timer on Max for 60 secs
i leave the venue
people start talking
“is it done now?”
timer finishes and cuts audio
confused silence
awkward clapping
Click a photo to enlarge it
Deptford Town Hall
Class Presentation
05/03/19
Notes/Reflections:
clicking sound reverberates nicely around space
play with the acoustic of the space more
at one point I disappeared behind the projector screen
how does losing sight of the performer affect an audience?
is it simply jarring, or does it encourage acousmatic listening? (Schaeffer, 2017)
place closed laptop against subwoofer
this sounds nice
looks engaging
moving around and dragging cable around things is very interesting to watch
using piano to trigger pitches in the microphone feedback
don’t overdo this kind of thing as it is moving away from laptop performance and becoming something else
microphone feedback as gestural control
visually engaging
obvious causality
could of played with this for longer
sitting in the audience
this is intimate, and quite intense
my hands got shaky and I was afraid the person next to me would notice
the microphone feedback techniques could be developed through specific programming
experiment more with feedback
especially with the internal speakers and changing lid position
what sort of sounds project well through the internal speakers?
which sounds project well with the lid closed? (Low frequencies seem to be effective)