Aaron German
Active Member
I thought it was kind of weird that we have never had a thread for live show reports. So here it is.
Right now, I am waiting to go see Nathaniel Bartlett. He's playing for free (I'm sure that our tax dollars are paying this) just down the street at the University of Kentucky. What grabbed my attention is that his performance was labeled as "immersive music." I read an interview with him that I wish I could find again, because I think many of you would like to read it. He talks about audio the way we talk about audio. He has a certain idea of how his audience should hear his music, so he surrounds the audience with eight speakers, so that he can place each sound where he wants to. The best part about what he says about his music is that he explicitly talks about the spatial elements of sound, calling what he does "audio sculpture." Here's a snipet from his website ( http://www.nathanielbartlett.com/intro.html ):
"My performances seamlessly meld my five-octave acoustic marimba with electronics, a powerful custom computer, and an eight-channel cube of loudspeakers. With the audience positioned in the center of the cuboid loudspeaker array, a three-dimensional soundfield can be projected into the audience space, totally immersing the listeners. In my music the positioning and movement of sounds in physical space, resulting in kinetic audio sculptures, is a central musical parameter. The three-dimensional soundfield is enriched by the use of high-definition audio (superior to CD-quality audio), which allows for a significant increase in sonic nuances."
I'll report back after the show.
Right now, I am waiting to go see Nathaniel Bartlett. He's playing for free (I'm sure that our tax dollars are paying this) just down the street at the University of Kentucky. What grabbed my attention is that his performance was labeled as "immersive music." I read an interview with him that I wish I could find again, because I think many of you would like to read it. He talks about audio the way we talk about audio. He has a certain idea of how his audience should hear his music, so he surrounds the audience with eight speakers, so that he can place each sound where he wants to. The best part about what he says about his music is that he explicitly talks about the spatial elements of sound, calling what he does "audio sculpture." Here's a snipet from his website ( http://www.nathanielbartlett.com/intro.html ):
"My performances seamlessly meld my five-octave acoustic marimba with electronics, a powerful custom computer, and an eight-channel cube of loudspeakers. With the audience positioned in the center of the cuboid loudspeaker array, a three-dimensional soundfield can be projected into the audience space, totally immersing the listeners. In my music the positioning and movement of sounds in physical space, resulting in kinetic audio sculptures, is a central musical parameter. The three-dimensional soundfield is enriched by the use of high-definition audio (superior to CD-quality audio), which allows for a significant increase in sonic nuances."
I'll report back after the show.
